


"I'll be Fine"

by Oreobunny1



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood(nothing too bad), Canon Divergence, Crying, Found Family, Healing, Hurt, I Made Myself Cry, Injury, Just angst, Protective Katara (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Toph Beifong, Protectiveness, Toph Beifong-centric, Toph Being Awesome, Toph Hurt, Toph Sacrifices Herself, Torture, all of them are protective okay, litterally just angst, no smut or romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26244988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oreobunny1/pseuds/Oreobunny1
Summary: AU where Aang actually does get sick from swimming in the polluted water and the gaang stops by another cave to find a cure, all without knowing that they are being tracked by the Fire Nation for being friends with the “recently deceased” Avatar. Things go downhill fast when one of the strongest members of their team goes down, and does not get back up.(Occurs between The Painted Lady and Sokka’s Master.)
Relationships: Family/Siblings, Friendship - Relationship
Comments: 66
Kudos: 62





	1. Ambushed(Toph)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! So this is my first Fanfiction on ao3, and I'm super excited! This idea came to me while re-watching Atla(again). Toph is so awesome and she's my favorite, so that means she's gonna have to suffer. It's for character development though!(Sorry Toph) The only time you really see Toph break down and cry on screen is in the finale, so I wanted to explore what would happen if she was truly unable to be strong. Enjoy the angst!!

“Fine, just get in there, grab the stupid plant, heal Aang, and come back,” Sokka said as he jumped down from Appa’s saddle. “Quickly though! If we stay here much longer it could ruin the schedule!”

Toph rolled her eyes. After cleaning up the polluted river back in unstable-wood city, they had packed up and moved on. However, one day into the journey, Twinkle-Toes began to get sick. At first it was just coughing, but now he was so drowsy that he could barely stay awake and was sounding terrible. Katara guessed that swimming in the water actually did make him sick and had them stop at another large cave to find the herbs she knew would heal him. 

The sun was just beginning to set now as they stood in front of the only entrance, a small crack in the side of the stone. Toph had felt the walls of the cave and shared that there was a large cavern in the middle of many intertwining tunnels, but that this was the only way in or out, save the large lake that ran underground. 

Katara explained that the cavern was where they would most likely find the plants and decided that her and Toph would take Aang and heal him inside the tunnels to save time, and that Sokka would stay outside with Appa and Momo. This plan suited Toph just fine, but Sokka was still whining.

“Calm down your Royal Schedule-ness, we will be back before you know it,” Toph teased as Twinkle-Toes slowly put one arm around her shoulders. He stood in between the girls with one arm over each of their shoulders for support, with his fire nation headband covering his tattoos. Katara snickered as Sokka fumed and searched his mind for a comeback.

“Ha-ha, very funny Toph. Hey, don’t- don’t um, let any metal belts hit you on the way out!” Sokka must have felt it as soon as the words left his mouth because his shoulders slumped as both of the girls fell into a fit of laughter.

“Good one, Sokka!” Katara commented as they turned away from him and made their way through the hole in the wall. Toph did not stop laughing until they were well away from the angry boy.

  
  


Her feet slapped the cold, damp stone as they began their journey through the tunnel. Katara let Toph know that it was extremely dark, so they pressed themselves close beside her as she made a path for them to walk safely and looked out for hidden dangers. 

As they walked they chatted about the boys and about what they wished they could buy in the next cities. They tried to include Twinkle-Toes in their conversation, but he only mumbled incoherent words that made them chuckle. They were practically dragging him by the time they made it to the cavern, and that’s when Toph felt something strange. She put her arm in front of the others to stop them.

“Wait,” she said, her eyes wide.

“What is it?” Katara whispered, “By the way, there are cracks in the ceiling so I can see now.”

“Good,” Toph muttered, lifting Aang’s arm off her shoulders, “because we are about to be ambushed. 30 to 40 soldiers from those two tunnels over there. They must have come by the lake because I can feel their boats hidden in the tunnel to your left,” as she spoke she pointed to the four foreboding tunnel openings that surrounded them, and the lake that flowed into the large cave, “They will attack any second now, so I think we’re gonna have to fight.”

“You don’t sound very disappointed about that!” Katara called exasperatedly from the other side of the room.

While Toph was talking, Katara had moved the now unconscious boy behind some boulders right beside the entrance to the tunnel with the boats so that he would be safe during the fight. Katara now stood closer to him and the edge of the water, her element and weapon. 

Toph smirked. Katara had practically read her mind. Toph was surrounded in her element, but she still crossed over to where she knew most of the soldiers would be entering (and where she was as far away from the water as she could be). 

Katara was right. Toph was not disappointed. She loved to fight, and she knew that this one would be quick, easy, and fun.

So she threw her hands up as if to surrender and put on her most pitiful, scared face.

The ground shook as the soldiers advanced into the cave. They fell in behind one man, she guessed it was their leader, but the bouncy footsteps were not from just another soldier. Toph recognized the small girl’s movements immediately.

 _Oh great, Flippy’s back,_ Toph thought. She immediately made a mental note to watch out for that girl. She didn’t quite remember her name, but she did remember that she is able to take out a fully grown bender with just a few punches. Not that she was afraid of her. Toph knew she could take her out just as easily.

“Ehem!!” The leader’s scratchy voice called out. _Jeez, how old IS this guy?_ “You are hereby under arrest for associating yourself with the Avatar and for impersonating Fire Nation citizens! Surrender yourselves now, or your fate will be worse than his!”

 _Wow, a threat! We are so scared!_ She knew Katara would be mad, but she just couldn’t resist making one last jab at him before the fight.

“Sorry GRANDPA, but I really don’t think that’s gonna happen,” and with that, she thrust her raised hands into the stone beneath her and willed it to rise. The rocks rose under her feet and created a tall pillar for her to attack from. 

Katara also jumped into action and Toph felt as she pulled a large amount of water from the lake to attack with. 

The soldiers rushed forward with deafening battle cries. Toph bent a boulder into her hand. _This is gonna be so fun._

  
  


Adrenaline rushed through Toph’s veins as she chucked stones down on her enemies. _Gosh I love this feeling._ She felt so _free_ as she used her Earthbending skills with ease. 

The Firebenders were knocked to the ground as rocks shot up under their legs, and yet they still kept getting up. 

_They never learn, do they?_ She dug her feet into the tower and made it higher as she blocked the fire blasts all around her. Suddenly, she felt an upcoming attack on the other side of the battle ground.

“Katara!” She yelled over the loud commotion of the battle, “Flippy coming up on your left!” 

The advancing girl was thrown into the air by a water blast from Katara, and Toph couldn’t see her anymore. But the loud splash as she fell let her know exactly where she was.

“Thanks!” said Katara, and she turned away again to knock down the incoming soldiers. Toph nodded in satisfaction as she too turned away from the water to continue the fight.

  
  


The fight was almost over. They had only been at it for around 15 minutes, but many of the soldiers were unconscious on the ground and Toph grinned as she knocked more out. But, she knew that Katara wasn’t the biggest fan of fighting and that Sokka would be insufferable if they took too long, so she decided that they should wrap it up. 

She knocked the benders around her off their feet to give her a few seconds of cover to yell something snarky to Katara about finishing up. She spun around to face the lake, and heard a strange whistling noise. _What is…_

She didn’t even get to finish her thought because at that moment, the knives hit her body.

  
  


A stabbing pain shot through her entire body and she cried out in surprise and pain, before shoving her right hand over her mouth to stop her own cries. The force of the blow had her staggering backwards until she was almost over the edge, but at the very last second she tipped forward and fell hard onto her left knee. Something warm and wet was flowing from her, but she didn’t notice much other than the terrible pain that was consuming her whole body.

She couldn’t figure out what was happening! The pain was blinding her mind and her rapid, shallow breaths made it impossible to hear. So she sat there, trying to steady her breathing so she could at least understand what was going on. She just wanted it all to stop, she just wanted to _see_ again!

_What happened?! No one was even around to attack me!! I had cover! I didn’t see any… Oh._

_Of course._

The sounds of the battle were slowly returning and the hull of a boat hit the wet stone at the shore of the underground lake with a _clunk_. The boat rocked and someone stepped out and they just stood there, as if they were frozen. Toph felt the sad knife-thrower’s entire body shake as she stood, staring up at her on her tower. 

She knew exactly what had happened now. 

That girl, May or something, had snuck up on her and thrown knives at her from the water. That’s why she had had no idea of where they had come from. _That_ was what the whistling noise had been.

_Stupid. I am stupid._

The pain was not so intense now, which _sounds_ like a good thing, but the truth was that she could barely feel anything. As the pain dulled and her head swam, she tried to assess the damage. 

Though she could not see them, she could definitely feel the three knives buried in her skin at the base of her left shoulder, her stomach, and her right thigh, making a perfect slanted line across her body. Blood gushed from her wounds and down her legs.

Her usually steady hands shook as they hovered over her body, trying to figure out what to do to help. She was sitting on the top of her tower and the soldiers, who had been frozen in shock, jumped into action. As she barely dodged a fire blast sent from below, she realized that she needed cover. 

She felt the ground and found that Katara was still fighting and facing the other direction. Toph let out a sigh of relief.

_Good. Then she didn’t hear my stupid scream. She hasn't noticed._

She knew that Katara would find out and that she would heal her, but not now. Now, Toph needed cover and time to think of a plan. 

She closed her eyes and imagined a thin but unbreakable wall fortress surrounding her at the top of her pillar. Still breathing hard, she thrust her hand into the earth as she had done a million times before and waited for it to bend to her will.

Instead, she ripped her hand away from the dirt as if it had stung her and bit her lip to stop herself from screaming.

As soon as she had touched the stone, a sharp, terrible pain had erupted from where the knife was imbedded in her shoulder. When the intense pain subsided a bit, she removed her hand from her face and carefully felt around her. Nothing, not even a pebble, had moved. Still, she felt so _tired._ Her energy had been drained as if she had just managed to Earthbend an entire mountain.

Tears sprang into her eyes as she thought desperately.

_I can’t bend? I can’t bend! What am I going to do?!? Wait… Katara! Aang! I need to get them both out of here. We have to leave!_

Toph placed her hands on the ground(with no thoughts of bending) and pushed herself up to her feet slowly. She winced as pain shot through her leg and stomach, but she did not stop. Her hands felt sticky after touching the stone but she knew that wiping them on her blood-stained clothes would do nothing.

There was a loud _clang_ , and a grappling hook hit the edge of her tower and dug into the stone. The soldiers were now trying to climb the tower to get to her. Toph pushed the hook with her foot until it slipped off the tower and fell to the ground. But that would not be the last one. They needed to hurry.

She cleared her throat silently and tried to make her voice sound as normal as it could. She really didn’t want to scare Katara.

“Katara! Waterbend Kuzon into one of those boats in the tunnel next to you!” She ordered. 

_Good, that sounded fine._

A shrill “Got it!” came from the other side of the cave and Katara obeyed.

_She still hasn't turned around. Perfect._

Aang’s body was lifted up into the air by one of Katara’s water tentacles and she felt as he was lowered gently into one of the boats. Katara now stood directly in front of the boat tunnel, still completely focused on the Firebenders she was fighting. 

Toph forced her eyes open as she kicked another hook off her tower. She cleared her throat again.

“Okay, now I need you to listen to me! Back yourself into the tunnel but keep all of the soldiers out,” Katara listened carefully and started to step backwards, still fighting, “then I need you to get one of those plants on the wall, grab Kuzon, and run! I- I will…” Her breath hitched and she was thrown into a violent coughing fit. Toph bent over and covered her mouth with her hands, but it was too late.

As the pain in her stomach flared from the fit, Katara stopped moving and finally looked up. 

_Great._

She heard a loud gasp followed by Katara’s horrified shouts..

“T-Toph? TOPH!! Get down here NOW!! I can h-heal you! C’mon, hurry!!” Katara kept her eyes on Toph and took a large amount of water from the lake, ready to wash their enemies away so they could run for it.

To be honest, the terror and sharpness in Katara’s voice scared Toph more than her injuries did. She quickly nodded and started to plan how she was going to get down. 

The thing is, she really wanted to go. She wanted more than anything to get to Katara and escape. She wanted to believe that she could do it, that they could all make it out of here. She took a small, hopeful step forward…And...

And swayed on her feet as pain shot up her leg. 

Her hopes were crushed as the more rational part of her mind took over.

_I am about to pass out. Katara can handle one unconscious person to carry, but without my Earthbending to block the tunnel, we would be caught for sure. They would separate us. Find out that Aang is the Avatar. In his state, they would most likely hand him over to the Fire Lord to be killed immediately. Sokka would come looking for us only to be caught as well. We would all die. All my friends…_

_No_

_I won’t let that happen._

Toph was not dumb. She knew what she had to do. 

And the realization of it cut into her like knives all over again.

She would protect her friends, no matter what the cost. She always did. 

It was the least she could do. Though she would never admit it, they had saved her the day they had taken her away from her home. From her parents. Now, it was her turn to save them.

_They will have to protect themselves from now on._

“NO, Katara!” She shouted back, no longer trying to control her ragged voice, “Get him and get out of here now, I’ll hold them off! I’ll be fine, I p-promise! Just go!”

“No Toph, I-I’m not just gonna leave you! I-“ she grunted as she forced her way through the soldiers, “I’ll think of something, okay, just stay there!”

Toph squeezed her eyes shut. She would _not_ let Katara see her cry. This was already going to hurt her enough without _that_ kind of guilt.

She planted her feet on the tower and clenched her fists. 

Katara was using waves to wipe out Benders as she fought to get to her, but she was still directly in front of the boat tunnel. She could feel vibrations as soldiers climbed up her tower, but she knew that wouldn't matter in a second.

She took a deep breath. Her head swam, and she took another.

_Katara is really going to hate me for this._

“I’m _so_ sorry, Katara.” 

That was all she said before stomping her left foot into the ground. Rocks shot up from the ground directly in front of Katara. She immediately shot at the new threat with a strong blast of water, but it was not enough. The rocks pushed against the water and Katara cried out as she was practically thrown into the tunnel behind her. 

Toph’s chest exploded in pain and her screams of agony echoed around the cave. The pain was overwhelming and her energy was draining, but she did not stop. She had to do one more thing. 

_I can do it, I can do it, I.. can... do it!!_

She collapsed onto her knees and brought a shaking hand up. She slowly forced the earth just inside of the tunnel to come up, making a thick wall to block anyone from coming in or out. And as the wall came up, her tower went down.

With her last burst of strength, Katara’s cries and shouts were cut off. The top of the wall connected with the ceiling of the tunnel. Her tower was gone and soldiers surrounded her, but she didn’t care. 

She had done it. She had protected her friends. 

A single tear rolled down her face and she whispered two words before she fell to the ground and lost all consciousness. The two words Toph wished she had said to them sooner.

“Thank you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's Chapter 1! it was super fun to write and I hope you liked it. I will have the next chapter up in a few days, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading!!!
> 
> (PS: Suki and Zuko are not in this fic much(sorry!!). I don't have anything against them, it's just the time that this occurs. Hopefully, if I can get through this one, my next fic will have them in it!)
> 
> (PPS: ANY feedback is appreciated. I'm kinda new to this whole writing thing so any tips you have are amazing!)


	2. Locked Out(Katara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up guys! I'm glad y'all liked the first chapter! This one is from Katara's POV, and it's pretty short. Just some sibling stuff. The next one is the one that is really going to hurt you emotionally though. I can’t wait!

“...No, Toph, NO!! Toph, open this door! Let me in right NOW or I’ll… I’ll… Please, just let me in! TOPH! T-Toph…. no..”

Katara finally stopped banging her fists on the stone and slipped to the ground, exhausted. Tears ran down her face and she thought desperately for a way to to get back in. To get back to Toph.

But there was none. The only thing in this stupid tunnel were boats, rocks, Aang, and her. The ground was damp from the water she had fought with, but she knew that it would never be enough to cut through the thick rock wall. 

She gasped for breath and hugged her arms to her chest as she tried to figure out what to do, but she was finding it very hard to think. The scene she had just witnessed kept replaying itself in her mind, every detail burned into her memory. 

_Toph...strong, untouchable Toph, covered in her own blood with knives sticking out of her body. The red pooling at her feet and trickling down the tower. Gasping and shaking like a leaf._

_Toph, struggling to maintain her composure as I fight to get to her and coughing up blood into her hands._

_“I'll be fine,” She said. Where have I heard that before?_

_Her screams as she forced the wall closed, still echoing in my mind...._

_Why didn't I check on her sooner? Why didn’t she tell me? I could have… I could’ve… I..._

Katara jerked up and shook her head to clear it. She quickly wiped her hand across her face as she got to her feet. This was no time to cry. She just needed to get Aang back to Appa. 

Just then, she noticed that it was not completely dark in this tunnel. She searched for the source and found that a large crack in the stone, big enough for her to get out, was letting in orange light from the setting sun. 

_Wow, she really thought of everything._ She thought, almost sarcastically. The crack had clearly been made by the rock that had forced her into this tunnel.

Katara wasted no time. Shoving her feelings and exhaustion away, she snatched one of the large blossoms off the wall, scooped up Aang in her arms bridal-style, and squeezed her way through the crevice. 

She pushed through the forest, following the wall of the huge cave and trying to push the awful memories into the back of her mind. After about 10 minutes, she caught sight of Appa’s white fur through the green and hurried toward it. 

She broke into the clearing, and Sokka turned from a small fire to grin at her. Katara didn't say anything to him. She quickly laid Aang against Appa and started to feed him the nectar from the flower.

“Took you long enough! I nearly marched in there and dragged you out myself, I...Hey!” Sokka cried out in protest as Katara got up and drenched his fire with water from a nearby bottle, “I just made that! I… Wait, what’s wrong?” 

Katara didn't even look at him, she just kept preparing. _We have to leave, we have to leave, we have to-_

A hand on her shoulder scared her from her mantra and she jumped, but it was only Sokka. 

“Woah, hey, talk to me.” His voice had lost all sarcasm and he placed a hand on both of her shoulders. He waited until she finally made eye contact with him to keep talking, “What happened? Did Toph say some-”

He looked around her quickly before turning his concerned gaze back to her. She couldn't take it anymore. 

“Speaking of which, where _is_ To-” 

Katara suddenly threw herself into her brother’s arms, not able to hold in the desperation any longer. She squeezed so tight, and Sokka, though surprised at first, hugged her back. He rubbed her back soothingly. 

“Hey, it's okay…” She let a few tears trickle down her cheeks. She wished with all her might that when she let go, Toph would be there. Unharmed and complaining, like normal.

But of course, she wasn't. When Katara pulled away and collected herself, Sokka just looked more confused than ever. 

“What happened?” He whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that’s it! Like I said, it was pretty short and sweet, so the next one will be up in three days. It’s gonna be really fun for me to write, and it's gonna be even more fun for Toph!(;


	3. One Fear(Toph)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry

_Drip..._

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

Toph didn't know if it was from the damp cave walls that she assumed surrounded her or the blood still dripping off her clothes and feet, all the way to the floor. Maybe both. 

Probably both.

She was so _tired,_ but she would not sleep. It had probably only been a couple hours since she was dragged in here, and she felt weaker and weaker as more blood left her body.

She had to stay awake though. She had one question that needed answering, and the different scenarios played themselves out in her mind each one more terrible than the last. No. She would not let herself rest until she knew the answer. 

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_SCREECH_

The sound of metal scraping against the stone floor met her ears and she winced. Footsteps padded on the wet ground. 

She kept her eyes closed, her chin resting on her chest.

_SCREECH_

The footsteps stopped.

“Oh, good, you're awake,” a familiar voice rasped, “Comfortable?”

Toph bit her tongue. Her arms were sore and she couldn’t feel her hands anymore, the metal cuffs around her wrists cutting off all circulation as the chains dangled her from the ceiling. The cuffs on her ankles weighed her feet down and the chains that connected them prohibited her from moving or kicking her legs. Her entire body was throbbing and all three knives still stuck out of her body. For some reason, she could sense nothing at the end of the rough chains. She couldn’t _see_ anything. She was completely vulnerable.

So yeah, she was _super_ comfortable.

“I sent Ty Lee to make sure you couldn't bend, and she made a rather fascinating discovery. This... little…” he stepped forward and touched the end of the knife in her shoulder. Toph moved away from his touch, trying to ignore the new pain, “ _Thorn_ in your arm is already blocking your chi! It must have felt _wonderful_ to Earthbend that tunnel.”

Everything he was saying was sarcastic, but it sounded completely different from Sokka. This sarcasm was dripping off his words, making her stomach twist in dread.

_So that's why it was so difficult for me to bend. That’s why I can’t bend now._

She did not move, but this guy did not seem to care that she was unresponsive. Yet.

He stepped back a bit and continued his speech in sickening enthusiasm.

“I was so excited when you finally landed that Bison! We have been tracking you ever since a spy told us about the little stunt you pulled at the factory in the last town you were at. A Waterbender, an Earthbender, and a couple of useless Non-Benders. Now, who does that remind me of? Oh yeah, that's the crew of cowards that fled after the destruction of Avatar Aang. Did you _really_ think that we wouldn't find you?”

_Wow, that was a lot. Does this guy have notecards? And, more importantly, is he ever gonna get to the point where I care?_

In all honesty, they had not thought about the fact that they might have been being tracked. They had trusted the villagers with their secret, but of course their plan had backfired.

_Shocker._

All of the sudden, Toph heard a _jingle_ of metal and the sound was getting closer, closer…

“Do you see this key?” He asked with fake innocence, “Oh, _sorry._ Can you _feel_ this key?”

Toph hissed as cold metal was pressed against her warm forearm. The key was large, metal, and she wanted it _off_ her arm. 

“There are only two keys that can open this little cell, and they belong to me and the girl who got you into this mess in the first place,” he removed the key and Toph forced herself to relax. She didn't want to start shaking like a wimp again.

The man seemed to be taking a breath before continuing.

_Blah, blah, blah...“I have the only key”, “you’ll never escape here”, “you're gonna die here.” I know, you dunderhead. The life slowly draining from my body kinda tipped me off. At least give me the information I want first._

“You know, apparently Mai didn't mean to do this to you. She expected you to shield yourself. She actually wants us to tend to your wounds and use you as some sort of _bait_ for your friends!”

He said this as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

“So, do you know what I’m going to do?” He paused, like he was expecting her to answer. She didn’t move. “I’m going to take her key and send her and her annoying friend back to the other _softies_ at the Capital, and _you…”_

A calloused hand grabbed her chin and forced it upwards. She did not open her eyes.

“You are going to tell me _everything_ I want to know.” He whispered, his breath right in her face. She almost gagged.

He released her and stepped back, clearing his throat.

“Do you want to know why I'm not using you as a lure? It’s because your _companions_ do not care about you.”

At the mention of her “companions”, her eyes snapped open. Of course she saw nothing, but this was the information she wanted. That she _needed._ She wanted him to think he was breaking her.

“Aha, a reaction! Yes, we found the remains of your pathetic camp next to the entrance of the tunnels. Your so-called _friends_ are long gone, an-”

That was it. 

“HAA!! Those idiots actually did it!” Toph exclaimed in absolute relief and joy. 

She had spent hours imagining her friends stupidly breaking in to try and get her out, only to be caught and taken away. It would have been all her fault.

But they were gone. Somehow, someone had convinced them to leave. She really didn’t think they had it in them. 

She could have cried out of pure joy, but she knew where she was. She knew what was going to happen to her, but she also knew her friends were going to be okay. And she would rather herself die a hundred times over than a member of her _family_ die while she was helpless to stop it.

_Wow, if they heard what I was thinking right now, I would be in so much trouble._

Though, Toph refused to think of the emotional pain this would cause them. It would be.... It would...

She didn’t have a choice. She put all thoughts of her friends to the side as she prepared a long list of insults. She would not go down quietly.

The man was shocked from her sudden and probably unexpected response, and he tried to gain control of the situation.

“Uh, As I was saying, you are nothing to them.”

“Yeah, sure grandpa.” Toph muttered, holding her head high now with her eyes wide open.

“I… What did you say to me?”

“Ohh, are you losing your hearing now too? I guess that comes with age. _Sorry_ , I’ll spell it out for you. Y, E…”

“Enough!” He croaked, “ You better watch your tone with me, girl, or-“

“Or what, old timer?”

_Katara would be flipping out if she were…_

_Stop it! Stop thinking like that now! They are not here, and you don’t want them to be._

Toph knew very well that she was not making this situation any better for herself with these stupid comments, but she didn’t care. The old man was still, and Toph tensed a bit at the silence. 

_Spirits, I hate it when I can’t see._

When he at last spoke, his voice was dangerously low and deliberate.

“Listen. Your friends left you and you will never escape, so why not make things easier for yourself? Just tell me where your friends are headed, and I will leave you alone.”

Even Momo could have told that that was a lie. 

“Sure but… um, you might want to get someone _younger_ in here so tha-“

Toph gasped as a sudden, burning pain grazed her arm. She could feel the skin melting and her eyes brimmed with tears, but she grit her teeth. She would _never_ give her captor the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

“W-was that supposed to hurt?” She taunted.

Her legs seemed to think so. They started shaking uncontrollably again at the sudden pain and that just made her entire body ache.

_Stupid legs._

The general chuckled. 

“ _That_ was a warning. One more quip and you’ll regret it, you worthless little wretch. Now I’m going to ask you one last time, so choose your words carefully. _Where are they going?”_

Toph knew exactly where they were going. They were heading to the next town. Sokka had said something about swords, and the rest of them had been looking forward to a relaxing couple of days. But, it would be kinda hard to relax if they had an entire fleet of Firebenders on their tail.

Toph dropped her head down again and shut her eyes. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice to match his, a dangerous whisper.

“Why would they share that information with someone as _useless_ and _unimportant_ as me? I’m sorry Gramps, but _I. Don’t. Know.”_

“So be it.”

The fire came quickly, without warning, and her will not to scream broke even quicker. The chains jingled as she thrashed about to get away from the pain, but it was useless. She screamed and screamed in agony as the fire licked her arms, her legs, her _feet._

She cried out for someone, _anyone_ to save her, but she knew no one was coming. The pain grew too much to bear, and she finally called out for the only people who could really rescue her.

“T-TWINKLE TOES! SOKKA, K-KATARA!!!” 

But she did not really want them to come, no. They were _safe_. That’s all she wanted. They were not coming. 

_They are safe._

So she screamed in anguish as she was swallowed by the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...
> 
> Next chapter up in a few days(:(:(:


	4. A Joke(Sokka)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll! I hope you are having a good day! This is the next chapter.
> 
> Yeah. I don't have much to say here.

Sokka squinted through the leaves as the new light of the sunrise lit up the ground far below him.

_Finally, I thought morning would never come._

He added another trap to the pile and felt Appa shift underneath him as he began to wake up. He glanced across the saddle to Aang, who was still out cold, and to Katara, who was still ignoring him.

_Well, at least some of us got rest last night._

After telling him all that went down in the cave, Katara had not spoken to him much. To be fair, he hadn’t spoken to her much either, except for every few hours when he built up the nerve to ask her to sleep. He told her that she would need her rest for when it was time to heal Toph, but she only glared at him before going back to her weaving. 

He couldn’t blame her though. He couldn’t have slept if he tried.

It felt like something was out of place in their group, and him and Katara were both twitchy and jumpy in anticipation for Aang to wake up so they could leave. He felt so uneasy, he had not said anything sarcastic since sunset. The silence was so _weird_ . He missed Toph's quips and jabs, and he knew Katara felt the same. Toph was not here, and it felt so _different_ without her.

 _Is this really how Aang and Katara felt when I was stolen by that Spirit?_ If it was, he wanted to hug them both right now. _This is terrible_. 

He went to pick up a new set of vines when suddenly, Aang yawned and sat up. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and a huge smile stretched his face. 

“Good morning everyone!” He said cheerfully as he got to his feet, “Katara, that must have been some plant because I FEEL AWESOME!!” 

With that, Aang quickly grabbed his staff and jumped off the saddle. Sokka’s mouth hung open with the words he was going to say as he watched Aang fly in excited circles around Appa and the large tree trunk. Katara didn't even look up.

“Wow, we slept in a tree?!” Aang called before landing back on Appa. He folded up his staff, still smiling like he didn't have a care in the world. “I, huh, I don’t envy you guys. Convincing Toph to sleep in a tree must have been awful!”

Both Sokka and Katara winced, but Aang didn’t seem to notice. 

“Whatcha makin?” Aang asked, glancing at the half-finished woven trap on Katara’s lap.

_This is my chance._

“Aang, we need to talk. Something… something happened last night.”

Aang finally stopped moving and sat criss-crossed in front of Sokka, like he was a child waiting for an exciting story. 

“Okay, shoot!” he said happily.

Sokka really didn't want to be the one to have to tell him this, but he was not about to make his sister relive it again.

“Okay, um, so first Katara and Toph took you into the cave to get the herb. Do... you remember anything after that?”

“No, I must have been _really_ out of it.”

“I’ll say,” Sokka muttered. “You were attacked by Fire Nation soldiers.”

“What?” Aang gasped, the smile gone from his face.

Sokka started talking fast, eager to get the story out so that Aang would understand and they could go get her.

“You were ambushed. But there were not that many soldiers so Katara hid you behind some rocks while they fought. In the end Toph was captured so we are making these,” he gestured to the large pile of circular woven vine traps, “So that we can go get her back.”

He took a deep breath and waited for Aang’s reaction. He seemed to be thinking about what Sokka had said, his face expressionless. Even Katara looked up now, trying to guess how he would react. Aang was really protective of his friends, and Sokka would not be surprised if he acted angry or emotional after hearing such news. He braces himself for the worst...

And was taken aback as Aang began to laugh, hard. Sokka and Katara just stared at him as he hooted and howled with laughter. Tears spilled from his eyes and he practically fell over.

_Maybe that plant didn’t fully heal him after all._

Aang took deep breaths to calm himself down as he got up and wiped his face.

“Oh man, you really got me with that one Sokka! You sounded so serious that I actually believed you for a second,” Aang looked at the confused look on Sokka’s face. “Come on guys. You're telling me that Toph, _our_ Toph, was captured by the Fire Nation while _surrounded_ in her own element? Yeah. Really funny.” 

He shook his head and got up, mumbling to himself. Before Sokka could say anything, he jumped off the saddle again and dove toward the ground with his glider.

“You can come out now Toph!” he called as he searched the forest floor. “Your little joke is over!”

Finding no sign of her, he returned to Appa.

“Seriously though guys, where is she? We need to keep-”

“She got hurt Aang!” Katara announced.

Sokka turned to his sister sadly. He hated seeing her like this, and hearing her say that again just made what happened to Toph seem more real. Aang stared at her.

“What? No…”

“Yes, Aang.” Sokka sighed, “Katara said that Mai must have snuck up on her from the water, and she’s hurt. S-she’s hurt really bad. But she locked Katara out before she could get to her. So now we… we just gotta get her back so Katara can heal her, okay?”

Aang was silent. He was just looking at them, still hoping that one of them would crack a smile and show them where Toph actually was.

But they said nothing more.

And Sokka watched the realization cross Aang’s face as he learned that this was not a joke. They were telling him the truth. 

Aang turned away from them so that they couldn't see his face, his expressions.

“Aang?”

“Where are we,” he demanded.

“In a tree not too far from the cave, but far enough that the soldiers would think we left.”

“Good.” He spun back around. His face was grim but determined, and he made eye contact with Katara and Sokka. He now understood the gravity of the situation. “They know that we would never leave her. They are most likely tending to her to use as bait for us.”

Aang spoke with such conviction, like he was absolutely sure of everything he was saying. His confident words cast any doubts from Sokka’s mind. 

_Of course they were. Of course she was okay! This was TOPH, for Spirits sake! Toph is practically indestructible! Besides, they wouldn’t do anything to her if they wanted to catch the rest of us. She is part of our family, and we are going to get her back._

“Yeah guys, Toph is strong, she’ll be o-”

“If she _is_ okay, then why hasn't she broken out yet?” Katara asked quietly, fearing the answer.

But Aang didn’t even bat an eye.

“She’s just waiting for the perfect moment,” he assured her. “All we have to do is go in and get her.”

Sokka watched as Katara visibly relaxed and finally put the vines down. Aang’s determination and confidence had spread to both of them, and they were ready to do what they had been waiting for all night.

So, with a small smile Sokka got to his feet to prepare for takeoff.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be up in about 5 or 6 days, and the angst will be back with full force. Stay safe ya'll!!


	5. The Strongest Earthbender(Aang)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry this is a bit late, school just started back up for me and I've been doing this instead of my homework. Enjoy Chapter 5! 
> 
> By the way guys keep in mind that I did NOT tag this with Major Character Death!(;

Okay, so maybe Aang was acting a _bit_ more confident then he actually felt. 

As soon as he heard that a friend had been snatched away from him _again_ , his mind immediately went back to the other times…

_The anger when Appa was stolen._

_The uncertainty and fear when Sokka was taken by the Spirit._

_The desperation as Katara’s head disappeared under the stone…_

That was not all, but those were some of the worst memories he had. Those feelings, all combined with the guilt that it was _him_ who was really hurting those he loved made it unbearable. 

That’s why he had brushed the news off, with a laugh even! He didn’t want to believe that it was happening again, that Toph could actually be caught. 

The feelings had hit him quickly, but one glance at Katara and Sokka’s faces led him to hide them. His friends had looked so sad, so _anxious_ and Aang knew that they had been feeling the same feelings he was. Only, they had been sitting up all the long night, the emotions simmering and getting worse by the hour.

He decided right then and there to be as positive as he could be, at least out loud. He knew that Katara probably saw right through his facade, but she said nothing. His words and promises brought them all confidence, and they were on their way in a matter of minutes.

That’s not to say he didn’t believe what he was telling them. He wasn’t lying. He _knew_ that Toph would be okay, he just knew the Fire Nation would do her no more harm if they wanted to catch them. 

That’s how it always was. Everyone he lost came back, and they were always okay. 

Of course when Sokka had said the name _Mai,_ his mind immediately went to her weapon. Daggers, _knives._ He shuddered at the thought of them, and knew that Toph was obviously going to need some healing when they found her. 

But this was _Toph_ , one of the strongest people he knew. They would get her out and be on their way in no time. She was going to be fine. 

_We’ll get her back._

These were the thoughts that got him through the slow ride back to the cave. He pushed the bad feelings away as they flew quietly, staying close to the ground. The sun was still rising, and Aang could not believe he had been asleep only a half an hour ago.

They carefully hid Appa and Momo in the forest behind the cave, making sure that they were not seen by the soldiers guarding the entrance. Both of the animals were tense and jittery as waves of unease spread from their human friends, but they stayed put. From there, the rest of them made their way on foot to the crack where they came in just the day before.

They stood just out of sight, preparing themselves for the battle. Aang looked at his friends. Katara was practically glaring at the entrance as she fidgeted with her water bottle lid, and Sokka’s fingers curled around the vine traps in his arms as he stared solemnly. Aang stepped forward with an expression of pure determination on his face. A member of their _family_ was in that cave, and they would not rest until they got her back.

“Let’s go get our friend back,” Aang said plainly, and together they jumped from the cover of the trees.

Their plan was simple. Sokka ran ahead and distracted the guards before tossing a trap at each of their feet. The circular traps, of Sokka’s own design, rolled towards the guards slowly before popping open. The sticky vines inside sprang out and tangled themselves around the guard’s legs, causing them to fall over. Then, Aang and Katara used bending to knock each of the guards out. 

Katara used her water whip to hold a small rock and hit them on a specific spot on their head, knocking them unconscious without hurting them much. Aang did the same, but he used only Earthbending. The Fire Nation headband still covered up his tattoos, and Katara reminded him to limit himself to one type of bending as to not reveal who he really was. 

This plan was extremely efficient, and they traveled quickly through the torch-lit tunnels. They worked in quiet, no jokes or sarcasm coming from any of them. This was serious. They could joke around once they had Toph back. 

They took out around twenty soldiers guarding the cave before entering the main cavern where the battle was fought. The unsuspecting Firebenders inside jumped to their feet at the sight of the intruders, and a new battle began.

Sokka discarded the remaining traps and unsheathed his sword and boomerang. Aang’s eyes swept around the cavern, weighing their excellent odds against such a tiny number of soldiers when something on the ground caught his attention.

_I-Is that…_

Blood. It was dried blood. A circular platform was still raised about an inch above the ground, and dark blood stained the stone. It was smeared toward the tunnel beside the one blocked with a hasty rock wall, as if… 

As if someone had been dragged all the way out of this cavern. 

Aang felt the desperation and the doubts rush back to his mind, as well as a flash of terrible _anger_.

_What if she’s not okay? What if they moved her to another location? What if, what if…_

_Stop. She’s fine. She’s here somewhere, and if they moved her then we’ll just find her. She’s fine. Toph is fine._

The fight went by quickly and Aang only remembers parts of it, his mind busy suppressing the thoughts invading his brain.

The _clang_ of Sokka’s boomerang as it hit a metal helmet.

The water in Katara’s whip. It was different than usual, the water not flowing and calm but barely contained in a concentrated jet stream that looked to be about to freeze at any second.

Aang’s own bending was different too, reflecting his emotions as the usually smooth rocks stuck out in jagged edges and crumpled to pieces after knocking down soldier after soldier.

_Toph would be so mad if she was watching my Earthbending right now._

They all kept an eye out for Mai and Ty Lee, but they did not make an appearance. Inwardly, Aang was relieved. He had a feeling that Katara would have gone full Kyoshi-style if she saw either of them.

  
  


The battle was over. It hadn’t been much of a fight, since many of the soldiers were still tired or injured from the night before. But now they were all unconscious on the floor.

All except one.

Katara recognised one man as the leader as he cowered from the fight behind some boulders. He was wearing a traditional Fire Nation General uniform, and his face was covered by wrinkles and an extremely long white beard. Aang found himself wondering how such a weathered and seemingly harmless old man could be a War General.

After making sure that every soldier was out, Aang used rocks to create a crude set of handcuffs and fastened his hands behind his back. The man didn't resist.

Now, he sat on his knees, his hands bound and his face expressionless.

Aang stood directly in front of the old man, arms crossed. He was impatient, ready to get the information they needed so they could be on their way.

Sokka was at Aang’s side, boomerang and sword drawn. That was a bit of a joke, because Aang knew that Sokka would never cut the man, but it did look intimidating. Sokka glanced at Aang and gave a small, reassuring nod.

He turned his gaze to Katara on his other side. She was scowling at the old man, and she held her water just at her side. The water wouldn't sit still, freezing and melting and revealing the obvious unease Katara was feeling beneath her brave face. Aang hated seeing his friends like this.

_Let's get this over with._

“Where is she?” Aang asked plainly, looking down at the hunched figure.

The man shifted in his restraints and stared at the ground.

“I see you’ve already found yourself a new Earthbender,” he muttered. 

“What? I- oh.” Aang _was_ the Earthbender. He still had his headband on. Why was that so easy for him to forget? “You didn’t answer my question. Where is Toph?”

“Oh, is that the name of that loud-mouthed little _brat_ that you abandoned here?” the man spat.

“We would _never_ abandon Toph.” Katara said slowly, moving the water closer. “Now where are you keeping her?”

The old man looked up suddenly, and Aang was startled by his cruel eyes. He wore an over-exaggerated puzzled expression.

“Hm. I truly don’t understand why you would ever come back for someone so weak, disabled, _fragile_ …”

Anger boiled inside of him and he was about to say some very unkind things when Katara jerked forward.

“Katara!” Aang shouted and threw an arm in front of her to stop her from attacking the man. She turned her glare to him and breathed heavily. Aang stared back at her and mouthed the words _calm down,_ as calmly as he could. Aang knew they were thinking the same thing, and why it had made all of them so mad.

Because that’s exactly how Toph’s own _parents_ spoke about her.

 _Had he been telling those lies to Toph?_ If so, he was about to let Katara go. Aang was not the best at reading people, but he knew that although Toph brushed off the insults and slurs they still struck her on the inside.

The second of chaos put a smirk on the man’s face, but Sokka recovered fast..

“Don’t you _ever_ speak about our friend like that.” He snapped, peering at the man and brandishing his sword threateningly. “Toph is _amazing,_ and she’s stronger than you’ll ever be. She, she’s…

Aang could see that Sokka was trying to find the best words to describe her. There were just so many ways to describe Toph…

_Loud_

_Aggressive_

_Funny_

_Crazy_

_Chaotic_

_Powerful_

_Protective…_

“She’s the Greatest Earthbender ever,” Katara said, her features softening a bit as she repeated Toph’s own words.

A small smile tugged at Aang’s lips.

“And don’t you ever forget it.” He whispered, finishing the quote. Hearing her words right then was somewhat comforting, and both Sokka and Katara turned to smile at him.

That is, until a terrible cackling noise ruined the moment.

The man was hysterical, and his sharp features twisted as he laughed and laughed. It was a cruel sound, his raspy coughs and barking laughter combining to form one of the worst noises Aang had ever heard. 

Aang’s face hardened again and he felt the anger return. This was getting annoying.

But he took a deep breath. He _had_ to calm down. The fury felt strange, he didn’t feel it often. Usually he tried his hardest to suppress his negative emotions, and he very rarely acted out of pure anger.

This was the exception: Mess with his friends, no, his _family,_ and he would not hold back. This man had even managed to make level-headed Sokka and “I protect everyone” Katara pissed off, and they had had enough.

Besides, the faster they got the information they needed from this awful man, the faster they could find Toph and Aang could figure out just how angry he needed to be.

“I’m tired of asking,” Aang shouted over the laughing, “Where. Is. Toph!”

“Gone.” The man wheezed.

_Oh Spirits._

Aang had been afraid of this. That meant that they were moving her to another location, maybe even the Fire Nation Capital. 

_Well, if that’s the case then I guess we’ll have to invade a little early._

He wasn’t _that_ worried about it though. They couldn’t have gotten her far in one night, and on Appa they could catch up easily. Now he just needed to know what direction to head.

“Okay great, where is she now then?”

The man gaped up at Aang, cutting off the terrible laughter.

“Oh you stupid _children_ ,” He said exasperatedly. “She’s gone!”

“GONE WHERE?” Aang yelled back, not appreciating the vague answers. _Just tell us where she is!_

“She’s dead!” 

They all froze.

“W-What?” Aang whispered, his eyes wide. He was finding it very hard to comprehend what was being said, after hearing such an _awful_ lie.

“Yes! You should have heard her pathetic screams during the _torture,_ she-”

“No. Y-You're lying. Guys-” Aang stammered, “G-guys it’s okay, he’s lying. Toph’s not… not...”

He couldn’t even say it.

Of course she wasn’t! _Of course_ this man was lying to them. In fact, Toph was about to come out of the tunnel and slap him across the face for telling such an outrageous lie.

But the general continued boasting happily…

“I think she was calling your names too, actually! Something about... _twinkling toes?_ ”

Time seemed to stop.

_Wait..._

_No!_

_Toph is fine! He could have learned the nickname from someone or somewhere else._

_Toph is fine. She’s about to come around the corner…_

Only she wasn’t. 

_He’s lying_

_He’s lying!_

_He’s… not_

Time came rushing back. Aang heard Katara gasp, and maybe he gasped too. He didn’t really know. 

Sokka’s trusty boomerang clattered against the stone, followed by his sword. The swordsman crumpled to the ground. He sat on his knees, staring wide-eyed at the man in front of him. His mouth hung open, but no sounds came out. 

Tears trickled down his face and fell in his lap as he stared in absolute _silence_.

Aang was swallowed up in a tornado of emotion, the most prominent one being _rage._ He wrung his hands through his short hair, trying to stop the _feelings._

But, Toph was...she was…

_You should have heard her pathetic screams during the torture!_

Oh, this man was going to pay.

Katara seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“NO!” Katara cried, lunging forward. Aang wasn’t going to stop her this time. She grabbed the man by the collar of his uniform. The water was frozen into a large dagger now, poised to kill at one simple command from Katara. “W-What did you do to her? Where is she? Where is Toph?!”

The man looked her in the eye and _smiled,_ his face only inches away from her own.

“She refused to tell me _your_ location, and paid the price.” He rasped.

A sob caught in Katara’s throat and hot, angry tears welled in her eyes.

“You- You _monster!”_

“I-“ 

He said no more. In one fluid motion, Katara transformed the ice and used it to knock him unconscious, similar to what they had done to the rest of the guards. He hit the ground with a _thud._

 _Too merciful,_ a small voice insisted from the back of Aang’s mind. 

Katara huffed for a few more seconds in pure rage, before slumping over. She let out a cry, a broken, devastating sound.

The ice melted abruptly and began to swirl around her like a cyclone where she stood. Faster and faster, colder and colder. Soon bits of snow stung Aang’s face as a blizzard enclosed Katara, she wasn’t even visible anymore. The snowstorm around her muffled her cries, until it didn't.

The ice slowed and melted into rain that _splashed_ against the stone, revealing Katara hunched over on the ground. Her shoulders shook as she yelled and cried out in sorrow.

Aang _had_ to get out of there. Heat was building up behind his eyes, and it wasn’t the tears. He stumbled, tearing his eyes away from his devastated friends. He Airbended himself over the unconscious man, he didn't care anymore. He just had to get away, had to _find_ his friend! 

Before he hurt someone else.

He hit the ground hard and sprinted for the tunnel across from them. The last thing Aang heard before turning the corner was Katara’s cries, echoing around the cavern as she repeated a single phrase, _over_ and _over_ again.

“She _promised._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah! The next one should be up in a week or so, but it will be put up. Don’t worry guys, I swear on Zuko’s Honor I won’t abandon this fic. Have a good week!


	6. Blinded(Aang)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! This chapter is also from Aang's pov, basically how he takes the news and handles the grief.
> 
> I'll give you a hint, he does not handle it well.

_Wow. I’m really running away again._

This was different though. Before, he had run away to save himself. Now he was running to spare the lives of others.

He didn’t know where he was going, just _away._ As if he could run from what he had just heard, from the voices in his head. There was so much going on, so many voices screaming at him!

_Calm down Aang!_

_Get back in there and finish that guy off!_

_You're losing control! Take a breath!_

_Your friend is gone because of that man._

_Make him feel the pain you are!_

All this as he flew through the dark tunnels, the blinding flashes of light in front of his eyes becoming more and more frequent. His body shook with absolute rage and he gripped his head in his hands, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

“NO!”

He ran full-force into something metal. He slammed his fists into it as he screamed in fury, fully aware that he couldn't bend it. Only one person could! 

_Well, I guess no one can now._

That sent him over an edge. He cried out as he banged on the metal, not wanting it to move like it did. He wanted it to stay put, wanted to slam his hands into it and feel some of the pain she had felt. All because of _him_.

SCREECH

He thought he heard a soft noise through the chaos, but it must have been his imagination. The door flew open and Aang tumbled inside a small, dark room. At least, Aang thought it was dark. The blinding light was overtaking his vision. 

He had been taught by the Monks that life was precious, that you should never steal it from someone.

But _Spirits,_ did he want to.

He wanted to make that man feel the pain he and his friends were. Make him _pay_ for stealing Toph away from them. He wanted to see him _suffer._

The shaking turned into vibrating and he was fully blinded. The power of the previous Avatars filled his body. Ready to destroy _any_ threat, to protect his loved ones. Only, there was no physical threat, just the battle raging on in Aang’s mind. 

And it was too late anyway. Too late to protect.

His mind flashed back to the last time he had been this _mad_ , mad enough to enter the Avatar State. He had been angry _at_ Toph. _Furious_ that she had just let Appa get stolen. 

Why did he have to be so _stupid_?

Toph had literally held that entire library up by it’s thinnest tower. She had saved all of them from dying or spending an eternity with that Spirit, all while standing on a substance that she couldn't even see! He knew that she had tried her best to save Appa, that she loved him too and didn’t want him to get hurt. And he had _yelled_ at her.

He should have apologized, should have told them all how sorry he was that he had lashed out at them! But, it had just been too painful for him to think or talk about, so he never did. 

But now, he would never get the chance.

Something inside him snapped, and it _hurt._ He fell to the ground, the fire still behind his eyes. 

“No, no... no no NO!” He sobbed, the white-hot anger fading to be replaced with emptiness and grief. “Please, no...Toph, c-come back! _Please…”_

_This was not supposed to happen! We were supposed to rescue her and move on to the next town! S-she was supposed to be okay, like everyone else!_

Another thought and Aang cried even harder. He _had_ felt a feeling like this before. Not _all_ of his loved ones come back. Aang wrapped his arms around himself, going for some form of comfort as the unwelcome memories of Monk Gyatso’s skeleton filled his head.

_Why?! Why did we have to take her from her home? We could have found another teacher, and s-she would still be alive!_

_She would be alive, but she would not be happy._

That was a new voice. Not his own, but softer than the others. It kept talking, whispering to him.

_There are other Earthbenders good enough to teach you, but she was the perfect one. The one you needed. And she needed you as well._

_And you could never have stopped her Aang. You know that once she put her mind to something, there was no stopping her. This was her choice._

Aang forced his eyes shut, pushing the voice out of his mind. Hot tears fell and splashed against the ground as he shoved his fists against the stone once more. Rubble fell from the ceiling and barley missed crushing him where he sat. He heard another faint noise, but he paid it no notice.

_Of course I could have stopped her! I-I’m the Avatar…_

Yup. He was the Avatar alright. And even _that_ had not been enough to protect his friend. 

Katara blamed herself, that much was clear. But Aang didn’t. He had _slept_ through it, had snored away while his friend was _stabbed_ and dragged away. No. Aang did not blame anyone but himself. 

And was all _his_ fault that he had just lost one of his best friends, his little sister.

“No…”

_Wait…_

_That was not my voice._

Aang stilled. He tried to calm himself down, taking deep breaths to stop the crying. He just needed to make sure that he _was_ imagining it. The voices in his head were gone now and he could hear the echoes of his cries off the cave walls, the cracking of the ceiling. The _Drip… Drip… Drip…_ of the moist cave walls.

He could also hear those soft noises more clearly. 

“ _Please_ … s-stop... No!” 

These were not some random sounds, but pained cries coming from somewhere beside him. 

_No..._

_It can’t be..._

There was no way. This voice was way too broken, too _fragile._

The buzzing faded and the flame slowly left his eyes. The power of the Avatar State drained from him quickly, and he could _see_ again. He blinked in the sunlight, peering around the room.

And immediately wished that he was still blind.

Because what he saw would surely invade his nightmares for the rest of his life.

_No..._

Chunks of the ceiling had fallen down, leaving the sun to shine into the tiny cave. To shine brightly on her scarred arms and pale face as she hung from the ceiling, _motionless_.

“ _Toph”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aVAtAR StATe yIP YiP
> 
> Anyway the next one will be up in a couple days, a short and angsty one coming to you from everyone's favorite meat/sarcasm guy. Have a great week!


	7. Nightmare(Sokka)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this one took a while, I had a crazy week and was just having a hard time getting this chapter from my brain onto the doc. It’s here now though, hope you like it!
> 
> Btw this chapter does have some descriptions of injury, but like I said it’s nothing too bad.

_“sokka….katara..”_

When Sokka first heard the shouts, it was like he was hearing them from underwater. Time was slow and he wasn’t seeing what was in front of him. All he could see were the memories. They were playing in his mind, some from months ago and some from only a few _days_ ago. 

They were all about Toph.

Now these were all happy memories, them messing with the others, teasing _each_ other, and just plain hanging out. Yet, something seemed… off. As the moments replayed in his head, he figured out what: In every joyful and exciting memory, an element was added or changed. Not like a water or fire element, but a specific piece of his vision. 

_A random bloodstain on Toph’s chest, growing and spreading on her clothes as she casually laughs at his joke._

_A knife flying past her head, and her not even seeming to notice it as she keeps talking._

_Him about to scare her awake after sleeping in, before realizing that she is not breathing._

It took Sokka minutes to realize he was trapped. Trapped, in a _nightmare._

“KATARA, SOKKA!!”

The sheer volume of the shouts was what finally pulled him from his thoughts. They were getting louder and louder, bouncing off the walls and into Sokka’s ears. He slowly lifted his head and found himself kneeling on the stone floor, his weapons next to him and his sister only a few steps away. He was a crying mess, and Aang wasn’t helping. The pain and sorrow in every distant cry broke Sokka’s heart, but there was something else. Something _new_ , but also sickeningly familiar.

Aang’s voice was filled with pure _panic_ and _terror._

“Aang?” Sokka whispered, still trying to snap out of it. “Aang, AANG!”

He shot to his feet. _Aang is in trouble, we have to get to him!_ He tore his hand across his face to get rid of the tears, but they just wouldn't stop coming. _Fine,_ he thought as he spun frantically to face Katara.

His sister was on her knees, no longer crying, but staring stone-faced at the floor. Willing it to move. Willing it to split, _willing_ Toph to pop out of the ground and scare the heck out of them, then laugh maniacally as they chased after her.

But it wasn't going to work. He had already tried.

“Katara-” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She did not move. “Katara, c’mon, please! He might be in trouble, a-and…”

He shakily crouched down in front of her and touched her other arm, now at her eye level. His voice wavered and broke, and the tears were still falling.

Katara glanced at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked at her brother without even seeing him. She was so far away, as he had been, but he _had_ to bring her back. He took a deep breath.

“And, I don’t want to lose another friend today. I…I _can’t._ ”

 _Now_ she saw him. She looked at him, and a familiar softness came over her face. As if, even through her own grief, she wanted to comfort _him._ There was a reason why the only face he saw when he thought of his mother was hers. 

He desperately needed the comfort, too. They all did right now. She raised a hand and wiped a tear from Sokka’s cheek. He almost leaned into the touch, but he caught himself. There was just no time. 

They would have to piece one another back together later. 

Katara shook her head a bit and lowered her hand. Her face had hardened again, but not in rage like before. He helped her up and she gave him a small nod before bolting toward the tunnel, Sokka hot on her heels.

“We’re coming Aang!! Just stay where you are!!” He called out. They sprinted through the tunnels, Katara leading the way by following the sounds of Aang’s cries.

He tried to stay focused on what they were doing right then: Running to save Aang. _Aang is in trouble and we will save him. Aang, just think about helping Aang!_

But no matter how hard he fought it, thoughts of Toph seeped into his mind. She was gone. Really, truly _gone_. One of his best and closest friends was… was _dead_ , because he had not been there to protect her. He always tried to protect his family, even without any bending. Even though he _knew_ Toph didn't like it. She was so strong and confident. Years and _years_ of being sheltered and judged had made her feel the need to prove herself to everyone, so that's exactly what she did. And she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

It had taken the rest of them months to break through that rock-hard shell. 

When she first joined their team, she just seemed emotionless and rough. She took every opportunity she could to make one of them mad. She did _not_ like to be touched. She never talked about her feelings or childhood. She slept in her secluded little rock tent and did not take orders from _anyone_.

But Sokka began to notice things. How she would start going on and on excitedly about something she was passionate about, before realizing what she was doing, shutting her mouth, and returning her expression to the usual cool, calculated one, as if she hadn't said a thing. Or she would simply walk away from the conversation altogether. How she made sure that no one had to do _anything_ for her, how she relentlessly proved to them that she could take care of herself. 

It didn’t take them long to figure out these were just some of her defense strategies. That, at her center, she was just a stubborn and sheltered kid who had never had a real friend, and had no idea how to make friends. Who was terrified of being a burden, even though she never was! Even though she never let her fear show.

So, they decided to help her out. As they traveled, they each tried to help her in their own way. Katara taught her that it was okay to need and ask for help, and treated her like a little sister. Sokka listened and encouraged her to be passionate and talk to them about whatever she needed or wanted to. Aang and even Momo helped show her how to accept and show love through touch, like hugs and hand holding, not just punches on the arm.

Slowly, she opened up to them. She tried to understand the rest of them and learned where to draw the line with the teasing. She shared her thoughts with them, and they _listened_ , unlike her crappy parents. She started _initiating_ the hugs, though she usually just punched them, and she grew comfortable touching and holding hands. She began to sleep under the stars with them, instead of surrounded by stone walls. 

It was a difficult and painstaking process, like pushing a boulder up a mountain, but it was worth it. And although she acted tough and scoffed when they mentioned any changes in her behavior, he could tell that she was grateful and loved having real friends of her own. 

Of course, she still made fun of them. That was just part of her personality! She was still demanding and aggressive, and made them(mostly Katara) angry at times, but _that_ was just part of being a family.

And as Toph learned how to be a part of a _real_ family, they formed very specific and strong bonds with one another. For him, it was the listening thing. Toph was one of the best listeners he'd ever met, no pun intended! He could talk to her about _anything_ and she would actually _listen_ to him, each talk ending in either some surprisingly wise words coming from a 12 year old, or that very same 12 year old dragging him behind her to go yell at whoever had made him upset. They could banter with one another forever, and they adored making fun of and pranking the others. They were just… _bros_. That’s the best way he could describe it.

And he had let her down. It had been arrogant, not going with them into the cave. They had just been so sure of themselves, so _sure_ they were out of harm's way. 

They told Toph that her family would always be there for her, that she was safe with them. She had just started to believe it too, and they had let her down. She never failed to protect them, and _he_ had failed to protect _her_ when she needed it most.

Sokka swiped at the new tears and cleared those thoughts from his head. The yelling was coming from just around the corner now. Sokka and Katara were breathing heavily, but they were prepared for battle. Well, actually, neither of them had any weapons or water(unless Katara wanted to _Tear-bend_ or something, they had plenty of _that_ ). But they were more than ready to fight tooth and nail to save Aang from… from _whatever_ was attacking him. He threw himself against a metal door and they burst inside. Sokka, _again_ , braced himself for the worst.

Or, so he thought.

“Aang, are you oka- _Oh no…”_

Aang was fine. _Physically_ , at least. Nothing was attacking him, he was just trembling as he stood. He had stopped shouting as soon as he heard the door.

It was Toph that caused Sokka’s heart to stop beating and the tears to fall quicker as his eyes widened in shock.

He had never seen Toph so _still._ Dangling from the cracked ceiling like a piece of _meat_ , her headpiece glinting in the morning sunlight. They had chained her arms up and legs down, each metal chain interrupted by a thick block of _wood_ that was attached to the stone. She hung so high that he had to look up to see her pale face, skin almost translucent in the light even as her head rested against her chest.

His stomach lurched. Her face had been spared, as had her Fire Nation clothes. They were not touched(other than the blood) probably as some twisted _statement_ out of respect for the Fire Nation. He wished he could say the same for the rest of her body.

Her arms, legs, and feet had been burnt. _Badly._ From her shoulders to her wrists, just above her knees to the soles of her feet, red and pink blisters and fresh scars _covered_ her skin. The burns were way worse in some places more than others. Her feet were _terribly_ burnt, as if she had just stood inside a blaze. He recognized some 3rd degree burns, they stretched across her arms and legs. On a closer look, he noticed something that made his blood boil. The worst burns made winding patterns and stripes across the torn skin, as if the torture was just some corrupted _art session._

And as in _that_ wasn’t enough, there were still the _knives_ sticking out of her. One in her shoulder, thigh, and stomach. The blood was hardly noticeable against her bright red clothes, just a dark stain across her entire front. Oh, and it was all over the floor under her.

Actually, this was not that different than in his nightmares.

Katara had her hands over her mouth, standing horrified behind him in the doorway. Sokka’s knees were shaking and he felt like he was about to pass out. He wanted to scream her name, shake her _awake_ , but no sound came out. And he _knew_ she was gone. Toph was dead. They were _too late_.

But she took a breath anyway.

Well, she did always love proving people wrong.

Toph was now gasping, struggling to get air with her head still down. He must have been so shocked that he did not notice her quieter breathing before. She had started making noises. It sounded like she was whispering something, but he was too far away to understand.

His mind wasn’t working. All he could do was _stare_ up at his friend. Luckily, his legs seemed to have a mind of their own. He moved forward slowly and stood just in front of her, not too close though. Not close enough to touch her.

“T-Toph?” He stuttered dumbly. She reacted instantly to the sound, flinching and muttering even faster.

“N-no...Please _stop..._ I..I don’t know where t-they are... _No_ …” She was leaning as far away from him as she could. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

“Toph, i-it’s _us_.” Sokka said, “W-We aren't going to hurt you.”

He didn't understand. They were her friends, why was she still scared of being hurt? Couldn't she feel that her captors were gone, couldn't she see that…

_Oh._

_I’m such an idiot!_

_Of course she can’t see us! She’s BLIND for crying out loud! With her feet so far above the earth, she had no clue who was in front of her. No clue what was about to happen to her. I am so stupid!_

_This_ served as the wake-up call he needed. Toph, against all odds, was alive. She was still, though barely, _alive!_ And he would do whatever he could to keep her that way.

The wheels in his head started turning and he snapped into action, whipping around to face his traumatized friends. 

Truth to be told, he felt like breaking down in a sobbing mess. The pressure and seeing his friend like this left him, well, _broken._ But he _had_ to try to save her. He was the leader. They expected, no, _needed_ him to be strong. _Toph_ needed him to be strong.

And he could fake it for them.

“We have to get her down! Aang!” He exclaimed. The younger boy turned to him, and Sokka winced. Aang looked so scared and sad, yet Sokka could see the terrible _anger_ seething just beneath the surface. Heat was emanating from his entire body, and based on that and the state of this little cave, Sokka came to the conclusion that the power of the previous Avatars had recently made an appearance. “Can you break the chains?”

“N-No, breaking the rocks above them would cause the roof to collapse and...I…” He was fighting tears as he looked up at his Earthbending teacher. Sokka’s big brother instincts kicked in immediately. He made eye contact with Aang, sending him an understanding look and a slight, pained smile.

“And you can’t Metalbend. It’s okay.” His brain was going a mile a minute now, he already had a Plan B. “New plan. Katara.”

He quickly looked at Toph again. Her arms and hands were unnatural colors under the burns from the lack of blood flow. The merciless cruelty of her captors filled him with rage once again, but he stifled the hostile feelings.

“I need you to put your hands on her waist and lift to try and take some of the pressure off her arms. Can you do that?” 

Katara faced him and nodded fervently.

“Yes. I can.”

“Good.” Relieved that she had answered, Sokka moved on to the next part of his plan. He made a beeline for the door. “Aang, you stay here with them, maybe try to talk to Toph and calm her down. I saw some sort of key on that…” What even _was_ he? The monster who had done this. No person should be able to do something so terrible to another creature, to a _child_ . “...that _man’s_ belt. It’s got to unlock the-”

He was halfway out the door when he stopped short.

“Nevermind.” 

The Universe must _really_ be on his side today. As he was on his way out the door to go retrieve the key in the main cavern, he nearly ran into a key that was already sticking out of the door. Sokka grabbed it and held the cold metal in his hands. It looked identical to the one that the man had with him! He had no clue why they would make two keys, and he was even more confused at why the General chose to keep _this_ particular door unlocked. He didn’t exactly seem like the kind of guy that would give them the opportunity to save their friend, after _lying_ to them about her death. 

_Maybe someone else had a key too and unlocked it for them? Who though, no one in-_

This wasn’t the time to think about that. He should just be _grateful_ and move on. Because whoever had been given the other key, whoever had unlocked the door and spared him from having to run all the way back to the cave, they might have saved Toph’s life. 

Because he did not know how much longer she could hold on.

“Okay Aang, I need you to Bend up there and unlock the cuffs. Be as gentle as you can, but be _quick_.” He passed the key into Aang’s shaking hands. 

The boy planted his feet and a small pillar of stone rose up underneath him. Katara was still holding Toph up as she cursed and pleaded with them to _let her go, leave her alone,_ to _stop the pain._ Sokka tried his best to ignore the sting her soft cries caused and held his breath as Aang tried the key into her left handcuff. After a tense moment the lock clicked. _It worked!_

Aang gently guided her bloody wrist away from the metal. Her arm was cut where it had dug into her skin, and she did not move her arm. It hung limp, as if she did not know she could move it. Aang looked at Sokka and he quickly offered _his_ hands. Aang carefully set Toph’s arm in Sokka’s. He tried not to touch her burns, fearing he would just make them worse. She was shivering, and he traced her hand lightly with his own fingers, hoping to calm her down. To let her know that he was _there._

Aang swiftly repeated the process, unlocking all the chains in a matter of seconds. 

Soon they had the girl in their arms. You would have thought she was asleep, but even as her arms and legs dangled unconsciously, her labored breaths and constant whispering continued. Her eyes would flutter open occasionally but never for very long. They were all helping, attempting to carry her without touching her wounds by keeping their hands under her clothed back and legs. 

They hurried out the door as fast as they could, the key discarded on the ground and the chains still swinging from the ceiling. 

Sokka hoped none of them would _ever_ see that small room again. It had only been a couple minutes since they found her in the chains, the whirlwind of emotions and fear extending the time in his mind. But now time was back to normal, and each and every one of Toph’s quick breaths caused his heart to stop. It was going to be a long walk back to the cavern. 

He tried to read his friends, partly because he did not want to deal with his own feelings.

Aang looked so focused, leading their way back to the main cave. His eyes were darting back and forth between Toph and the torch-lit tunnel ahead. 

Katara had not said anything. She kept her eyes on the small girl, just muttering sharply to herself.

Sokka was trying so _hard_ not to break down. His tears had run out, but Toph’s pleas were still breaking his heart. She still didn't seem to know what was going on and he just wanted to _hold her hand._ He wanted them to hug her, make her _believe_ she was safe! But he couldn't. He could only try to comfort her with his words.

“Toph, hey, it’s okay. We’ve got you.” He insisted softly, his voice quivering.

“And we are not going to let _anyone_ else hurt you.” Aang added. Sokka assumed that was supposed to sound comforting, but the fury behind the words made it clear it was a threat. A threat to anyone who tried to hurt his friend again.

Toph froze. She shut her mouth, ending the cries. They all stared at her as they continued walking, startled by her reaction. Startled by the fact they couldn't hear her breathing anymore.

“T-Toph?”

Suddenly, she jerked a hand up from it’s place on her chest. Upon finding that she could, in fact, move her arm, she slowly reached out to the side. Her eyes were squeezed shut in concentration as beads of perspiration struck her bangs to her forehead, and her hand was shaking so _violently,_ but she eventually found Aang’s arm. It rested there for a moment, feeling for a specific heartbeat. 

_“A-Aang?”_ Her hoarse, shaky voice echoed in the tunnel. Aang’s eyes opened wide and Sokka’s mouth fell open. He had not heard her call Aang by his given name, well, _ever._

“Y-Yeah, it’s me. _Aang_.” He could tell that it had shocked Aang to the core by the way he repeated his own name, like it was a foreign word to him.

“Sokka, K-Katara is that you?” Toph’s stormy eyes were open now as she tried her best to regulate her own shallow breathing. 

“Yes, we are both right here. Don’t worry, we are going to get you out of here.” They were still on the move, and Sokka was sure that the cave was not far off. She just needed to hold on...

“No.” Toph whispered, almost too quiet to hear.

“What?” 

“NO!”

Things happened so fast. Toph shoved her hand against Aang’s arm where it had been resting. She started kicking her legs and flailing her arms, trying to get them to _let go of her_ with all of her strength. Even with three knives sticking out of her, she still put up a fair fight. There were yells of protest as she struggled against them, but they managed to keep her off the ground even as she shouted back at them weakly. 

“You guys _have_ to get out. _Now!_ Y-You have to leave! Go! P-Please…you have to go, o-or they’ll get you too! Let _go_ of me, just r-run! Forget about me... _Please_ , f-forget...about…”

Slowly, she stopped fighting. Her limbs went limp again and her eyes closed as she went into a deep sleep. Sokka was _relieved._ He had been scared that Toph would hurt herself worse, so he was glad that she was asleep now. She needed all the rest-

“No, Toph NO!!” Sokka jumped as his sister screamed. This was the most she had said in a while. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Toph’s face. “You better open your freaking eyes right now! I'm _not_ joking, if you don’t- _Dang it_ Toph!”

The fear in her voice startled him and he glanced down at Toph. What he had thought was “falling into a deep sleep” was really the girl passing out, and she was _barely breathing._

His blood turned to ice. 

Now it was _just_ like his nightmares. 

Almost simultaneously their pace quickened as they reached the end of the tunnel. He knew what Katara was going to say before she even said it. He just _hoped_ they would get there in time.

“We _need_ to get her to the water.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay!  
> This chapter turned out way longer than I expected, including many character studies that I did not even plan putting in this fic. Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments so far, I adore making you all sad and upset with me!!!  
> The next one will be out soon!


	8. Lies(Katara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than I thought, but it’s NOT my fault. It was frickin Netflix. I started a random show called Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous because I was bored, and this “sweet, fun kids show” made me love the characters before the last few episodes tore my heart out and crushed it flat. And now I have to wait for the next season.
> 
> ANYWAYS, this is another short and sweet one from Katara.  
> Actually, this is not sweet…
> 
> This is a short and traumatizing chapter from Katara!!! Enjoy!

Katara was sick of the lies. They echoed in her head right alongside Toph’s screams. She always tried to tell the truth, knowing that lies usually cause more pain than the truth does. She knew it all too well.

She realized now why Toph’s words had seemed so familiar. Because “I’ll be fine” had been _Jet’s_ last words to her. It had been a lie too, but Toph had been _right there_ to tell her that. That was all that mattered, especially _now._

Katara _did_ care about Jet. Though she may have had some _serious_ second thoughts about her relationship with him, she never wanted him to _die._ His death hurt her badly, being only the second major death she had experienced. The second death that she was _helpless_ to stop. A wave of guilt washed over her as she thought about it, but she honestly could not have done anything to save him. She still remembered the empty feeling as she ran from someone who needed her. _She still remembered_ placing her hands on his chest to _try_ , and only being horrified by the irreversible internal damage. 

It was just _different_ with Toph. She had known Toph for months now, been through highs and lows with her, fought with her, fought _beside_ her, shared memories and laughs with her. Their relationship at first had been... _interesting,_ to say the least. Reckless Toph, she needed a parent figure opposite of her _real_ ones. Someone who would love her for who she really was, not as some glass doll to keep hidden from the world. However, Katara cared about her too much to stay silent when she was doing something risky and/or stupid. This contradiction in their personalities resulted in many fights and arguments, but the more they understood and learned about one another, the closer they got. 

_Toph_ was the one who would spar with her whenever she needed to blow off some steam. _Toph_ was the one that woke her up from her nightmares and just sat with her, staying with her and talking until she fell into a peaceful sleep. _Toph_ was the one she knew would always have her back, would always protect them. She was one of the best friends she had ever had, and she saw her as the little sister she never knew she wanted. Or _needed._

So imagine the absolute _terror_ to see one of her closest friends, her _strongest_ friend, burt and bloody and _dying_ in a cell. _Knowing_ that when she would put her hands on her heart, she would see even clearer the worst injuries she had ever tried to heal, worse even, than Jet’s.

They finally entered the cavern, unconscious soldiers all around them. Katara took the younger girl in her arms and started toward the water. Her brother immediately let go but Aang held on, his eyes filled with worry and fear as he clutched Toph’s bloodstained shirt. Sokka put a hand on his shoulder. Aang jerked awake from his trance and slowly released his grip, his hands shaking, and Katara turned from them and rushed to the lake. 

Toph was so _light._ It felt like Katara was carrying an otter-penguin pup, dainty and brittle. So completely _opposite_ to how Toph acted. As she carried Toph in her arms, staring at her ghostly skin and battered body, it was so easy to see her as she really was. Toph was stubborn, independent, and protective. She was one of the most powerful people Katara had ever met, and it seemed she was not afraid of anything.

But she was also _12._ She was a _kid_ , they all were, and they should _not_ be going through this kind of stuff. None of them should. 

Her crazy, playful brother should not be standing at the edge of the water, staring intently at them with his arms still shaking, terror still masking his face. Refusing to sit or rest with his sword and boomerang back in his hands, _determined_ to protect them this time. 

Aang, Avatar or not, was also just a child. He should not be pacing the shore, crying out in frustration as he tries again and _again_ to raise a simple stone wall to shield them from the rest of the cave. Probably blaming himself for _everything_ and reliving his worst fears and mistakes in his head.

And _Toph_. Toph should not be gasping for breath in her arms, the cruelty of _monsters_ placing her on Death’s doorstep when she was so young with so much _life_ ahead of her.

She had seen the soldiers that returned to the Tribe after fighting in the war. She had witnessed their terrors, their trauma from the battlefield. It was not easy to watch, and these were _adults!_ Men, grown men, _broken_ by the war. 

She shuddered to think what this war could do to _them_.

Aang had taken initiative and made a sort of operation table with a stop of his foot, a raised platform of stone in the shallow part of the lake. It was just big enough for Toph and was located where Katara could stand in the water and work on her. She gently laid the girl on the stone and grit her teeth as she Bent some cool water into her bloodstained hands. 

_Here we go_.

She tried to ignore the anticipated rush of fear and adrenaline as she placed the water on Toph’s chest and felt just how bad the injuries and _pain_ was. It reminded her of when she had attempted to heal Aang after Ba Sing Se with regular water. Except for the fact that _her_ heart was still beating. 

Katara had been thinking ever since she saw Toph’s body, inspecting the damage and organizing in her mind how she was going to go about healing her. The knives were first on her list. They were small, but so was _she._ She wished now that she had spent more time learning from professional healers. Nonetheless, she immediately got to work on the one in her stomach.

It had been hours, but the hours felt more like days. Aang would occasionally Waterbend some fresh water near her mouth for her to drink, but other than that Katara was completely focused on healing their friend. Her brain was going as fast as Sokka’s and she muttered to herself as she worked, attempting to plan every step and movement. She started by healing the wound in her stomach. She knew enough to understand that stab wounds could _not_ just be stitched up, they had to be mended slowly and carefully to prevent internal bleeding. She healed the first injury enough so that it was not bleeding excessively before wrapping a strip of her skirt tightly around Toph’s already bloodstained clothes. This was just the first step. She was simply trying to stop the bleeding, later she would go back and _truly_ heal the wounds. Katara went through this process three times. She took the knives out only when she got to them, aware that they were the only things that had stopped Toph from completely bleeding out.

She did all this while trying to ignore the horrifying burns that covered Toph’s body. They were _not_ the priority right then. They were not what was causing Toph’s labored breathing and unsteady pulse. 

After _hours_ of healing, Toph’s eyes finally opened. She grabbed one of Katara’s hands.

“Katara? Oh, _ow.._ ” She whispered, hissing with pain as she slowly placed her hands on the wet stone underneath her and pushed herself up. Katara was taken aback and removed her hands from the wounds. She was kneeling on the edge of the stone table now, too tired to stand.

“Hey, lay back down,” she urged, her voice almost as scratchy and quiet as Toph’s. “Please, you-you need rest.”

The younger girl’s head turned to her, but she did not listen. _That_ was a good sign. Katara would have been infinitely more worried if she had obeyed her right away. She had been silently begging for Toph to do anything, well, _Toph-like_ ; punch her arm, ignore her, or crack a joke even! Just _something_ to show that she wasn’t _gone._

Not _this._

Toph choked on a sob and threw herself into Katara’s arms. She crushed her in a hug, clinging onto her with all of her strength. Her small body shook as she sobbed into Katara’s shoulder, heart-wrenching and _broken_ sobs that had nothing to do with her physical wounds. 

Katara was paralyzed. The only time she had ever seen Toph cry was back at her parents home, and even then it had been brief and she probably would have killed them if they brought it up. Yet here she was, crying into her arms, seeking _comfort_ and _protection._ A small part of her recognized this as a sign of how far she had come as a person since joining their team, but mostly she was just shocked and scared.

However, she quickly pulled herself together and wrapped her arms around her.

“Oh _Toph_ …”

Katara could tell that this was _hurting_ , tearing the untreated scars on her arms and disturbing the several stab wounds. But she could also tell that Toph’s mind was what needed to be healed the most now. She needed to know she was safe, that _they_ were safe, and that they had gotten her out of her cage. That they had saved her from the _demons_ , and that she was with people who loved her now.

“Toph!” she heard Aang shout. The boys rushed to the water and splashed in to join the hug. 

Aang threw himself into the hug as if he had been starved for contact his entire life. He started crying as soon as he saw that Toph was really awake, that she was really _alive_. He stood on his tiptoes in the water and hugged her from behind, his face buried into her shirt as he repeated _I'm sorry Toph, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry._

Sokka was just holding them gently, tears falling but body still erect and alert for threats that could snatch his family away from him. His eyes were glazed over, as if he wasn't sure if any of this was real. As if he didn’t know if they would ever really feel safe again. 

Katara was running her fingers through Toph’s hair softly as she held her, reassuring her again and again.

“ _It’s okay_ Toph, I've got you, your safe, your gonna be fine, your _safe_. You’re going to be okay…”

Suddenly Toph’s entire body stiffened. Katara looked down to see her grey eyes filled with tears, but a small, quivering smile on her face as she looked up in Katara's general direction.

“S-Sugar Queen,” she murmurs so only Katara can hear, her voice breaking as Katara leans in to hear better. “Please, d-don’t _lie_ to me.”

Katara’s heart _shattered_. She didn't even know she had been lying, she was trying so hard to convince _herself_. To convince herself that Toph would be okay, that she could _heal_ the broken child. 

But Toph knew better.

Katara opened her mouth to speak, but only a strangled, _devastated_ sobbing noise escaped her lips. Both the boys were startled by her outburst, but she was only looking at Toph. The tears started falling as Toph’s eyebrows knit together in... _concern?_

_For what? Me?! For us?! YOU'RE the one dying in my arms!_

Toph again buried her head into Katara’s shoulder, hugging her even harder than she had before. Her shoulder was nearly soaked now, but she didn't care. Katara’s arms curled around her as she completely broke down, sobbing as she hugged the smaller girl. They were just a big pile now; a group hug of _traumatized_ , crying kids that had no one on their side here. _No one_ to help them.

She didn’t know how much time went by in this hug. She only opened her eyes when Toph stopped sobbing. In fact, the child was slowly beginning to go still. Katara loosed her grip on the injured kid as her body went completely limp in her arms, her head resting against Katara’s shoulder. She cradled her in her arms, the tears falling even faster now as she realized. 

Toph had passed out again.

Katara held her for a moment longer, gathering her strength for more healing. She didn't even bother to wipe away the tears. Trembling, she kissed Toph’s feverish forehead before laying her carefully back on the stone. 

Both of the boys were staring. Sokka was just looking at poor Toph. His face was hardened and his eyes dark, clearly no longer oblivious to the severity of her injuries. His hands were shaking again, a new tic she was noticing in him that she was not sure she liked. It could have been because of fear, or because of _anger_ at the unfairness. She was pretty sure her brother had not been this quiet for _this_ long in his whole life.

But Aang was looking at her, bloodshot eyes and tear-stains replaced his usual joyful smile. 

“S-She _is_ gonna be okay, r-right?” He asked, silently pleading with his eyes that she would scream: _Yes! Yes Aang, she’s going to be perfectly fine. She will live._

_As if some bandages would change the amount of blood she’d lost. As if strips of clothing and a few hours of healing would erase the time Toph had spent in that damp cell, the hours she had spent in the hands of the Fire Nation._

Sokka turned to her to inspect her reaction to such a question, but cast his eyes downward harshly after one glance at her conflicted expression. Sometimes she wished he didn't know her so well. 

Katara loved Aang, she loved her brother! She did not want to shatter their hearts as hers was, simply by telling a terrible _truth._ Katara wanted to reassure Aang that Toph _would_ be fine. She _wanted_ to tell him what he wanted to hear, what they all wanted to hear. She wanted them to remain hopefully ignorant of what was most likely going to happen to the small, stubborn girl they had brought onto their team. 

As she opened her mouth to speak, staring at Aang’s large, hopeful eyes and the new tears making their way down Sokka’s face, she found she couldn’t. They _deserved_ to know. They deserved to be prepared for the possibility that their friend would not bounce back from this. That, indestructible Toph, may _never_ wake up.

So she just shook her head _No_ and quickly turned away, new tears coming to her eyes too. She didn't need to look at Aang to see his wide eyes and trembling lip. To see Sokka’s crushed expression as he made his way back to the shore for another patrol. A voice inside her head spat...

_Nice going Katara. You crushed them. You should have just kept the truth to yourself. Aren’t you the one that’s supposed to fill people with hope?_

As she again immersed herself in the healing, she wished she had lied.

But Katara was _sick_ of the lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is going to end up being longer than 9 chapters, also it will kinda go into the Sokka’s Master episode. The next one will still be Katara(plus Momo!), and the angst will continue! Have a good week!!


	9. Surrender(Katara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry this took so long, my family went on vacation)
> 
> I frickin love this chapter. I feel like nobody talks about Toph’s relationships with the animals, so a chunk of this is fluff about that. But don’t worry, there's still plenty of angst!

Two days. It had been almost two days since they found her in chains. Two days since Toph had been able to keep her eyes open for more than _five minutes_.

She did not wake up when they brought down the rock wall and carried her to Appa. She didn’t even open her eyes when they took off, leaving the surprisingly hellish cave that would haunt all of them. 

Aang sealed the entrance to the cave after they left. It was just to buy them some time. The soldiers inside would be sure to look for their prisoner, and instead they would find their only exit: the cracked ceiling. And, by the time they would get out, the rest of them would be long gone. 

Aang steered Appa to the next village, as their destination had not been revealed and there was a large lake nearby. They immediately chose a secluded grove on the edge of the water, shielded on one side by the base of a mountain and the other by tall trees. As soon as they landed Appa offered his tail as something to lay Toph on. But, they knew that she was more comfortable on the ground(something that would never make sense to Katara) and would rather be there. Appa seemed to understand and he settled next to the break in their fortress of trees, keeping watch over the tired children.

None of them slept. Katara continued the painstaking healing, Sokka continued the pacing, and Aang continued staring, unfocused, at nothing at all. 

They were gone now though. Earlier that day, she suggested that they go into town to get some food and bandages. She would stay with Toph, and they would keep each other safe in the Fire Nation Town. Katara wasn’t about to let either of them go alone. It took a long time to convince them, but eventually they begrudgingly left.

She could tell that they saw right through her. They had plenty of food, and bandages couldn’t help at this point. She just couldn’t stand their silent desperation any longer. Besides, they might even find someone to teach her brother a few sword tricks. That would(hopefully) help take their minds off what she could not stop thinking about.

Katara was so tired, she just wanted to sleep, to _eat._ The sun was setting now, and she could feel the worry about the boy's whereabouts coming to add to her problems. She could barely think straight, all she knew was that she couldn’t stop healing. In all honesty, Momo was probably the only thing keeping her grounded at this point.

The Lemur-Bat was curled up in the crook of Toph’s neck, his head resting on her uninjured shoulder. Listening to the rapid, pained gasps that was her breathing. Every now and then, when her raspy inhale came a little too late for his liking, Momo would shoot up from his “sleep” and put his little hands on her cheeks, chittering excitedly as he stared at her closed eyes. Waiting for her to wake up and rub his ears fondly. After about ten minutes of this he would begrudgingly lay back down, only to be up again at the slightest change or movement.

Katara smiled sadly at his efforts. She was glad that he was here, paying attention to Toph’s breathing and heartbeat. She was also grateful for Appa, protecting and watching out for them as she worked. However, it was also extremely sad. Though she did a good job hiding it, Toph had developed quite a soft spot for both of the animals, and them for her. Katara was sure that Toph’s parents _never_ let her have a pet growing up, so aside from the Badgermoles she had virtually no experience with animals. That resulted in irresponsibility, surely another reason she was a favorite. Toph snuck “human” food to Momo all the time, much to Aang’s protest.

She despised flying, but she liked Appa a lot. Katara had actually witnessed Toph having a full out conversation with him(when she thought no one could hear, of course), as if Appa was just another person! Katara thought it was HILARIOUS, but she also valued her life, so she avoided mentioning it. 

Toph was especially close to Momo. Momo was Aang’s pet, and he loved hanging out with Sokka, but him and Toph were buddies. Momo usually slept with her at night, and more often than not he could be found perched on top of her bun as they traveled. She didn’t know why he preferred Toph, perhaps because she was the most steady. Or maybe it was those tassels on the sides of her headband that he liked to mess with. Whatever it was, it sometimes made the two of them inseparable. Katara had caught Toph playing and cuddling with Momo countless times. Once, after a long day of fighting, her and the boys found them cuddled up on the ground, both passed out asleep. Sokka had been quite salty about it, Aang could barely contain his laughter, and Katara had found it cute. They all agreed never to speak of it again(unless it was for revenge or something, of course).

Thinking about that time only a few weeks ago where they were able to laugh together, it- it cut deep. They could ignore everything going on around them, all their trauma and problems, as they had one another to lean on. They were able to find peace in the middle of a _war_ in each other.

It was hard to imagine life had ever been like that now. Everything was falling apart, and she didn’t know what to do. She was trying to do so much, her brain was screaming at her faster than she could understand!

_You can’t do this! You couldn't save Jet, you couldn't even save your own mom. What makes you think that you can bring someone back from death? You know that she’s as good as dead, not even your persistence or Toph’s strength can spare her life now._

That was the thing! She didn’t know if she was saving her friend’s life, or just extending her slow, painful, _inevitable_ death!

“ARGH!” She cried out in frustration, burying her head in her cold hands.

“What are we going to _do_ Momo?” She asked softly. He turned his head to her and she looked into his huge green eyes. He made a sad purring noise, and Katara could have sworn that his eyes were more shiny than usual. Almost like… he was crying?

Katara shook her head and reached one of her aching hands out to pet his head gently. It was probably just the exhaustion making her crazy. She hoped so. She didn't think she could handle a crying lemur.

Suddenly, a low grumbling shook the ground. Momo’s large ears shot up and narrowly avoided whacking her in the face while Katara’s heart jumped inside her chest. She searched Toph’s face for signs of movement, but to no avail. She was still out, she couldn’t be the one Earthbending.

Her heart fell and a chilling sense of dread overtook her as she realized: it wasn't Earthbending. It was _Appa_ . He was growling, a deep and menacing sound, and he stomped over to face the trees. Momo also jumped up and skittered over to crouch in front of Toph’s feet. He started hissing, a sound Katara had never heard from him before, the fur on his back standing straight up. They were both facing the forest, and Katara began to hear the snapping twigs as something, or _someone_ approached their camp.

She started pushing herself off the ground, but stopped when she felt the hand on her sleeve tighten. 

_Not now. Please, not right now!_

Toph had only done this a few times. She would sorta wake from her restless sleep and grab onto Katara’s arm. Without opening her eyes, she would quietly but firmly ask the same question she was asking now...

“Are y-you okay?”

“Yes fine-” Katara replied swiftly, without thinking.

 _Shoot._ That was most definitely a lie.

Every other time, she _had_ told the truth! _No_ , she would answer sadly as she gripped Toph’s hand, _I’m not._ Toph would nod slowly before drifting off again, not happy, but satisfied with Katara’s honesty and steady heartbeat.

This time however, Toph’s eyebrows furrowed at her lie and frantic movements.

“What’s wrong? I can- I can help! Just...” she gasped as she pulled on Katara’s arm, struggling to sit up. Katara put her hands on Toph’s shoulders to stop her.

“I’m sorry, but you have to stay _down_ for this one. It will be okay.” Katara hissed through her teeth, still not taking her eyes off the trees. That could be a lie too, but Toph lay back down. Katara kept the side of her foot against her leg as she stood to face the threat with Momo and Appa. They could not see whatever was coming, but they could hear it getting closer, _closer..._

Protective instincts took over Katara’s entire body, momentarily overriding the exhaustion. A _snarl_ erupted from the back of her throat, and she brought gallons of water from the lake. The water felt heavy, cold, and _powerful_ under her control and she formed it into large ice disks, razor sharp and ready for her to send racing to their enemy.

She wasn’t about to let anything else happen to her little sister.

“Look,” She shouted into the trees. “I don’t care who you are, or what you want. Get out of here now, _while you still can._ ”

Three men slowly emerged from the thick leaves. They were all dressed in Fire Nation attire. The two in the back carried what seemed to be a stretcher. The man in front had tan skin and grayish hair, pulled up into a formal knot. He had his hands up in surrender, showing that he was not a threat.

But Katara was not a fool. She brushed the freezing blades with her fingertips in preparation to release them when... _WHOOSH_

A loud gust of air blew right next to her.

“Katara,” Aang’s tired voice said in her ear. 

She was not surprised at his sudden arrival. She didn’t even turn to look at him, attempting to keep all of her limited attention on the men. She was glad he was back though. She would probably need backup.

“Katara, it’s okay. They...they _-no Toph!!”_

Katara spun around.

Toph jumped at his shout, but relaxed a bit when she realized who it was. She slowly moved her hand away from the ground.

“Yes?”, she asked weakly, in her most innocent voice. It was too late. She had been caught.

“Toph, I sway- swear, if you don’t lay back down r-right now, I’ll knock your... you, out myself.” Katara snapped, unable to stop herself from mixing up the stupid words. Her thoughts were sluggish and heavy now, as if her energy was spent after just standing up. She knelt down to help the idiot lay back, still keeping her body toward the intruders.

She should have been more wary when Toph seemed to obey her so quickly. The little punk had sneakily, painfully moved herself up into a sitting position without her noticing. The cause of Aang’s cry was her hand, shakily hovering above the earth.

_She had been trying to Earthbend._

Toph half-heartedly rolled her eyes.

“Try it,” she gasped out, “I’d kick your butt.” Toph smiled, but it soon turned into gritting her teeth against the intense pain. It was all too much. She was out again before she even hit the ground. 

Katara winced, wishing that she was still healing her. Realizing why she wasn’t.

She got into another fighting stance, and felt a hand on her arm.

“They are on our side.” Aang whispered.

“ _What?_ ” Katara exclaimed incredulously, tearing her head around to face him. 

_Gosh he looks awful._ The emotion in his big eyes made him look so old and beat down, and the bags under them looked big enough to carry tiger-seals. She didn't imagine she looked any better.

Along with the sadness and exhaustion, there were also flecks of _trust_ in his grey eyes. Flecks, of _hope._

“No.” she said, “No Aang, I won’t...We _can’t_ -”

“Sokka trusts him.” Aang interrupted, stuttering and stammering as he fought the exhaustion. “He’s back at the house, waiting for us. This man, Master Piano? Pian- _Piandao_ , that's it. Yeah, um, he taught him some sword fighting, and- Anyway, the point is that _Sokka_ trusts him. And I, well, I'm no Toph…” He laughed a little, “but I tried to list-listen to his heart. I really don’t think he’s lying. I… I think he actually wants to help us.”

Wow. That was a lot. Katara looked back and forth between Aang and the Firebenders.

Part of her wanted to believe everything he said. Part of her wanted to give Toph to the Fire Nation healers and go to _sleep_ , forgetting all her worries. She missed being able to “leave it to the grown ups” like that. She _missed_ feeling safe.

But this war was made by grown ups. They could not trust anyone but themselves. 

“Aang, we-” She started to protest, but Aang was on the ground. He had his hand placed gently on Toph's bandaged chest. Momo stared at him. He chittered softly, and Aang’s eyes snapped open.

“Katara.” He gasped. He was on the verge of tears again. “ _W-We don’t have a choice anymore_.”

One look at his face told her she had been right all along. Toph was fading, and fading _fast_. She may not even last the night. Unless they got help, Toph would definitely die. 

Katara couldn’t save her alone.

“No” she said finally. She gestured to the stretcher the men carried. Katara was not going to let them carry her on that _thing._ Aang’s fearful gaze turned into one of relief, and he pushed himself up to help pick up their camp.

  
  


Soon they were traveling to the village. The three men walked in front, leading the way. Master Piandao had not said a word since he first stuck his head out of that bush. He just let Aang do the talking, silently observing them and staying out of the way. Katara carried Toph in her arms, and Momo rested on Toph’s lap. Aang walked behind her, watching her back and leading Appa behind him. They didn’t talk much during the short walk to the house.

Katara focused on not tripping every time she stepped instead of facing her doubts and fears concerning the people she was trusting with her friends. She put her forehead against Toph’s, monitoring her breathing and praying that she didn’t just make the biggest mistake of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next one should be up soon! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!


	10. Solace(Toph)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This one is Toph’ pov(yES SHE’S ALIVE!). Have fun!

This was it. They were going to die. Her friends were going to _die_ and, this time, there was _nothing_ she could do about it.

Rough hands held Toph back as she struggled fiercely to get up. Her screams and curses were muffled by the gag drawn tightly across her mouth. This entire building was made of wood, keeping her from Earthbending the soldiers holding her back straight into the ceiling. Still, for some terrible reason, she could still feel her friends _falling_ as the merciless soldiers surrounded them. 

She could _feel_ Sokka crumple to the ground after a fatal blow from a sword. She could hear Katara’s shriek as she saw her older brother fall, that distraction being all the soldier needed to thrust the sword in her chest as well. She couldn’t sense Aang, he was attempting to fight them from the sky. He clearly hadn’t seen the rest of his friends. He clearly _couldn’t_ see the soldier like she could, all the way across the room, readying a bow...

Toph kicked hard, this time making direct contact. The hands on her arms finally loosed and she shoved herself away. She sprinted towards Aang, clawing at the gag, screaming at him to _MOVE! MOVE!_

Nobody could hear her. She heard a grunt of pain and felt as his body hit the floor. She continued to run, shoving through the soldiers, hot tears streaming down her face as the only people who had ever accepted her died _because_ of her. 

The heartbeats grew fainter and her screams grew softer, then…

  
  


Toph’s eyes flew open and she gasped for breath. _It was a dream._ She wasn’t in a wooden room, her friends dying moments away from her. She was just in bed. She had been _dreaming_ all along.

_It was only a dream. It was only a dream. It was only a-_

She laid there, trying to collect herself. She was fine! Well, mostly. She could definitely feel the agonizing pain again, and she almost wished she was still asleep. _Almost._ Anyway, as far as she knew, her friends were fine too! They were right-

_Wait_

_“She was just in bed”_

Toph tried to sense her surroundings, but all she knew were soft blankets and pillows she was resting on.

She _was_ laying on a bed. 

_No! Oh, please no. This can’t be happening!_ She _couldn’t_ be asleep anymore, her throbbing head and stiff arms were enough proof of that!

Then she must really be in a _bed._ Not on Appa. Not on the earth. _Not with her friends._ The thought alone made her throat burn and in no time her eyes were filled with tears. She had just gone from one nightmare to another.

She heard the talking, the meaningless whispers of her Tudors. Toph felt the sheets she was surrounded in, _suffocated_ in. She didn't need to feel the floor to see the room she had grown up in. The room she had been locked in to keep her “safe”, out of the way. The room she had been shoved into when she caused too much trouble. The room she had been trying so _freaking hard_ to escape.

So she really was back.

_They must have finally realized I’m not worth all the trouble. They didn’t have the time to take care of me so they brought me all the way back to my parent’s house to get rid of me. I really did it this time._

It was against Toph’s nature to be so self degrading, but in those few seconds of terror, she just couldn’t help thinking these things. This was one of her worst fears, being realized right before her eyes(Ha). This is what kept her up at night, what forced her to be so painstakingly independent. _This_ is what the rest of them had been helping her get over! 

_I should have known better than to trust someone else._

She was engulfed by fear, rage, and sorrow. Her chest felt tight and constricted, and each breath was incredibly painful. The fact that she was about to hyperventilate was not helping. 

Some part of her knew that her friends would _never ever_ do that to her, that there had to be a logical explanation for this! She already missed them and imagining never being with them again made her feel like sobbing. She just _knew_ that they cared about her more than this, but she wasn't _thinking_ about that. 

She was only thinking about escaping.

Toph started to sit up, stifling the cries as moving her head felt like she was _dying_. The word _concussion_ echoed in her brain as she struggled to keep going. She would run away. She _had_ to. She didn't _care_ how bad it hurt, how terrible she probably looked. She didn’t even care that she couldn't Earthbend! She would get away somehow, she would find _somewhere_. Just the thought of staying in this _house_ : with her parent’s false sympathy, each wall reminding her of her disability and how _fragile_ it made her seem even to her friends, it had her reeling in indescribable pain and loneliness. She was still trying to force her head off the pillows when she froze in fear.

 _Something_ was on her wrist. For a terrifying moment she was reminded of the chains, but... it wasn't cutting into her flesh. It was just resting there. Comforting her- 

_Someone was touching her._

_Wrong. This is wrong_. Touching was not allowed at Toph’s house. She couldn't even remember the last time her father hugged her, the last time her mother brushed her hair or held her hand. The guards and Tudors were only allowed to guide her, and she had grown sick of the gentle nudges because _she knew where she was going._ Touching wasn’t a thing her genetic family did. 

But it _was_ a thing her new family did. Katara, Aang, and Sokka were the ones who taught her how to show affection through touch, who showed her how starved she was. 

She needed to calm down. She allowed herself one slow breath. 

Another. 

As she struggled to recover from her near panic attack, she noticed a few things she had not let herself notice before. These didn’t feel like her sheets. Her bed at home was not made of wood like this one was. This _wasn't_ her room. 

There was someone resting on her lap. It didn't hurt, as she was heavily bandaged from her waist up and could hardly feel the pressure. Their breathing was steady and LOUD as they slept. _A mouth breather._ Toph knew who it was before she even felt their heartbeat. _Aang._

The chatter she was hearing wasn’t from _her_ Tudors, it was someone with a deep voice, chastising someone else. He was going on about strokes and ink and _identities,_ and none of it was making any sense to her. She listened as Sokka responded to him, followed by a suspicious _thud_ and the crinkle of paper, and a... disappointed silence?

And her wrist. A soft, cold hand rested on her wrist just below where the burns ended. _Katara._ She was probably sitting on a chair but leaning on the bed as she slept. _She must be exhausted from all the healing,_ Toph thought. The relief that flooded through her was incomparable to anything Toph had ever experienced. In those anxiety-filled seconds, she had thought she lost them. But they were all _here_. They were all right here with her.

“Sokka,” Toph finally said, unable to keep the relief from her voice. 

“ _Spirits!”_ She couldn’t “see” it, but she imagined Sokka jumping as his sharp intake of breath interrupted the man who was speaking. He quickly apologized. “Um, sorry Sir, c-could I? Thank you!”

“Toph!” He suddenly exclaimed. The bed jolted and she heard a _thud_ as what she presumed was Aang slid off her lap to the ground. Before she knew it, she was wrapped in a huge hug. Toph hissed from the pain of the sudden contact and Sokka immediately jerked away.

“Oh sorry!!” He yelped apologetically,“I fo-” 

Toph grabbed his arms before they could get too far away again and hugged him back, ignoring the ache as she moved her arms.

“It’s okay Sokka,” she said into his shoulder as she clutched onto him for dear life. It felt like she hadn’t had human contact in _forever._ She never wanted him to let go. “It’s fine.”

“Ughh,” Aang groaned, “what the heck So- TOPH!” Sokka let go and she was attacked in another hug. 

“Hey Twinkle-Toes,” she sighed happily as he wrapped his arms around her. His entire body relaxed a little when she called him by his nickname, but he never stopped hugging her. _I wonder why..._

“Oh Toph, _please_ never do that again.” Aang whispered.

Aang slowly let go and sat on the edge of the bed, beside her and near Sokka who was sitting at her feet. 

“Do what again?” Toph asked, genuinely confused.

“You know exactly what!!”

The voice had come from Katara, and she heard Sokka mutter under his breath: “Darn, she had finally fallen asleep.” Katara was just waking up and she was already snapping at everyone. It was truly amazing the speed at which Katara could piss Toph off. Realization washed over her and she snapped:

“Wait, are you talking about me saving your sorry butts back there? Fine, I _won’t_ do it again.”

 _Silence._ Toph immediately felt the weight of what she just said, and her face fell. Katara probably wasn’t meaning to be snappy, she was just tired and stressed out. They all were. She did not need to be yelling right now.

“I’m sorry.” Toph whispered, her head down. She tried hard not to think about the stuff she had gone through only days before. “You’re right I… I _n-never_ wanna do that again. I’m sorry.”

Katara sighed. “Jeez, Toph,” Katara kneeled on the bed and hugged her. This hug was different, she was so much more gentle and careful than the boys had been. Toph rested her head on Katara’s shoulder. “You don’t need to be sorry. We _love_ you, alright? So you- you going through _this_ for us it… it hurts.” 

“We should have protected you.” Sokka said. The bed creaked as Aang nodded vigorously. It sounded like they blamed _themselves_ for everything.

But she definitely didn’t.

“But that’s what _I_ was doing, Snoozles.” Toph said, giving a small smile. There was comfortable silence for a minute, everyone just sitting there and thinking. Enjoying the fact that they were together at last.

Katara finally broke, stifling a laugh. “Sokka, what _is_ that on your face? You’re getting it everywhere!” 

“It’s-”

“Hold on.” Toph held up her hand to stop him. “Can someone quickly explain to me _who’s_ house we’ve apparently broken into, who that man you were talking to is, and... _why_ my arms feel so numb and _weird?”_

“Let me introduce myself,” the man’s voice suddenly came from somewhere in front of the bed. She assumed he had been waiting in the halfway for her to ask a similar question. “I am Master Piandao, and this is my house.”

 _“That we did not break into,”_ Aang whispered into her ear.

“Yeah! He’s teaching me,” the bed creaked again as Sokka bounced around, probably doing some stupid arm movements that mimicked a sword while making obnoxious _swishing_ noises. “ _Swordbending_.”

“Wow. Good luck.” Toph teased.

Piandao chose to ignore that. “I am a member of The Order of the White Lotus, a secret society that transcends the boundaries of the four Nations themselves!”

“We’ll explain later.” Katara said at her side.

“And, to answer your last question, there is an advanced medical salve covering the severe burns on your arms and legs.” His voice had taken on a much more serious tone. “I’m sorry, but some of them will _never fully heal_ , even-”

He was still _talking_ , but Toph couldn't make sense of it anymore. The world started closing in on her. The air in the room seemed to get thicker, making it harder for her to breathe. Toph unknowingly tensed as things lurking in her mind tried to overwhelm her and the topics she did _not_ want to think about were brought up. She felt trapped, trapped _again._ She was slipping back, back into that dark room where the only thing she could _feel_ was the blistering pain and the only thing she could _hear_ was vicious laughter, and…

She felt as Aang put his arm around her shoulder gently. She felt Katara move to lean against her as she lay propped up on the bed. Even Sokka shifted so the small of his back was resting up against her bandaged foot. 

Every movement they made was seemingly small. Insignificant to any outsider who witnessed them. But they made Toph feel about a million times better. Just _knowing_ that her friends were there and _feeling_ their heartbeats helped her differentiate between what was real and what was not. She knew they knew that too.

_Spirits. What did I do to deserve friends like this?_

“-could have been a lot worse. You are very lucky you got her here in time.” He paused. “I’m going to go fetch the doctor. She needs to know that you are finally awake.” he decided. 

Toph stiffened again at the mention of a _doctor._ She wasn’t _scared_ of them, but what if they made Aang, Sokka, and Katara go away? What if they had to leave? _Get a hold of yourself. It would only be a few minutes you baby!_ She knew she was being childish, but the thought of any of them leaving the room with her not being able to feel her surroundings and with her Earthbending skills _still not working_ was absolutely _terrifying._ Katara’s cool hand rubbed her arm.

“Thank you Master Piandao.” Aang said gratefully.

Piandao must have nodded or something. “Do not make a mess while I’m gone.” He warned, but it didn’t really sound like he was talking to them anymore.

Sokka gasped, showing her that she was right. “What, me?! I would _never._ ” 

Piandao chuckled before his footsteps left the room, the door closing softly behind him. Katara moved her hand to Toph’s, the only place on her arm that wasn’t burned and bandaged.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere.” Katara confirmed. _Wow. Katara’s a mind reader. I knew it._ Sometimes her friends were so freaking intuitive that it hurt. Toph smiled, a real smile that she hadn’t felt like she had done in weeks.

“Okay, so what’s wrong with Sokka’s face?” She asked. “Aside from what’s _usually_ wrong with it I mean-”

Laughter and protests filled the room as Sokka started talking about ink and his lessons, Katara tried to explain to her exactly what Sokka’s face looked like, and Aang just sat there _giggling_. Toph laid back against the pillows, more comfortable now than she had ever been. She listened to the chaos of her crazy little family, ignoring the pain for now, marveling at what it felt like to truly be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trauma is strong with this one
> 
> Thank you guys so much for the comments and support so far!!! So the next one will be out in a few days. Should I maybe give these poor kids a break from the angst?
> 
> n e v e r


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